Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,961 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Kirby were worth $736,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Kirby by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,914 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC increased its position in Kirby by 38.8% during the 3rd quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX stock opened at $104.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $104.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $92.13 and a 1 year high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total transaction of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on KEX shares. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Kirby Profile

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.