Zacks Research Has Negative Forecast for Kirby Q1 Earnings

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Kirby in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the shipping company will post earnings of $1.41 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.42. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $6.57 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q2 2027 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.04 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.04 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on KEX. Weiss Ratings lowered Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BTIG Research cut their price target on shares of Kirby from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.60.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $127.97 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Kirby has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.83.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.06. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 10.54%.The firm had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $857.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.29 earnings per share. Kirby’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total transaction of $4,441,467.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,776,242.05. This trade represents a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total value of $477,892.80. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $430,224.20. This represents a 52.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 82,640 shares of company stock worth $10,470,847 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Kirby in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 67.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 284 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 537.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a leading domestic maritime transporter of bulk liquid products in the United States. Through its Marine Transportation segment, the company operates one of North America’s largest fleets of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s fleet moves petrochemicals, black oil, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals along coastal and inland waterways, providing critical logistical support to energy, chemical and agricultural producers.

In addition to its marine operations, Kirby’s Distribution and Services segment offers diesel engine and power generation services, along with aftermarket parts sales.