Brokers Offer Predictions for Kirby’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:KEX)

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Kirby in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the shipping company will post earnings per share of $1.75 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.74. Zacks Research 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 Q4 2026 earnings at $1.89 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.77 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.81 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $2.15 EPS.

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on KEX. BTIG Research reduced their target price 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.60.

Kirby Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of KEX stock opened at $126.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $126.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.61. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $79.51 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Kirby by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,079 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 31,644 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,487,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury raised its position in shares of Kirby by 62.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 25,638 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,017,000 after acquiring an additional 9,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in Kirby by 136.9% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 27,591 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,056,000 after purchasing an additional 15,945 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.33, for a total transaction of $1,508,893.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 14,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,915,894.62. The trade was a 44.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 5,429 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $662,338.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 10,399 shares in the company, valued at $1,268,678. The trade was a 34.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 82,640 shares of company stock worth $10,470,847 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised longer‑run forecasts — FY2026 EPS to $6.77 (from $6.75) and FY2027 EPS to $8.04 (from $8.00), and lifted several mid‑2027 quarterly estimates (Q2/Q3 2027 to $2.04). These upward tweaks support stronger medium‑term earnings outlooks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating and made mostly very small adjustments (hundredths of a dollar) across quarters, implying no material change to analyst conviction; the firm’s view remains cautious but not negative overall.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed some near‑term quarters — Q1 2027 to $1.81 (from $1.84), Q1 2026 to $1.41 (from $1.42), and slightly reduced Q4 2027 — which can weigh on sentiment and help explain today’s downward move as investors react to weaker near‑term earnings projections.

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.