Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Receives $132.60 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $132.60.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KEX. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on Kirby from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Raj Kumar sold 3,000 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total transaction of $398,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 4,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,353.80. This trade represents a 40.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total transaction of $4,441,467.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,776,242.05. The trade was a 25.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 82,640 shares of company stock worth $10,470,847 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Peregrine Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 131,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $10,932,000 after purchasing an additional 20,399 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,030,000. Luminus Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 292.0% in the third quarter. Luminus Management LLC now owns 116,956 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,760,000 after buying an additional 87,120 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 239.4% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after buying an additional 11,118 shares during the period. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 11.5% in the third quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 160,475 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after buying an additional 16,615 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

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.

Kirby Stock Down 1.5%

KEX stock opened at $126.09 on Monday. Kirby has a 1-year low of $79.51 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 1.15 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 the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.06. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 10.54%.The business had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $857.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.29 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

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.