Analysts Issue Forecasts for Kirby’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:KEX)

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Kirby in a research report issued on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the shipping company will post earnings per share of $1.42 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.53. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” 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 $2.00 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.01 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.16 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.00 EPS.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.06. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 10.54%.The company had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $857.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.29 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on KEX. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $109.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kirby in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.40.

Kirby Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of KEX opened at $124.87 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.81. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $132.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.68, for a total transaction of $1,244,673.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 14,835 shares in the company, valued at $1,656,772.80. The trade was a 42.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt A. Niemietz sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $171,180.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $109,326.96. This represents a 61.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 63,898 shares of company stock worth $7,081,741. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 92.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,612,119 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $287,803,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251,700 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Kirby by 109.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,256,667 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $248,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,963 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $258,900,000 after acquiring an additional 959,209 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter worth about $81,355,000. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,784,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

More Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q1 2027 EPS estimate for Kirby sharply (from $1.60 to $1.84) and projects stronger long‑run earnings (FY2028 EPS forecast of $9.14), which supports a higher near‑term valuation and helped push the stock up.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights improving shareholder returns and favorable fundamentals following Kirby’s January quarter that beat EPS expectations — a boost for investor confidence. Returns At Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Are On The Way Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Background: Kirby reported a January quarter EPS beat and revenue growth; consensus and longer‑term analyst coverage remain mostly constructive (consensus FY2026 ~6.57 EPS, MarketBeat consensus “Moderate Buy”), which provides underlying support to the share price.
• Negative Sentiment: In the same Zacks note, analysts trimmed several 2026 quarterly EPS estimates and reduced FY2026 from $6.97 to $6.75 — these downward revisions introduce some short‑term uncertainty around near‑term earnings momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks added KEX to its Rank #5 (Strong Sell) list on Feb 13, which can trigger short‑term selling pressure from momentum or model‑driven funds. New Strong Sell Stocks for February 13th
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Two Kirby VPs disclosed sizable sales (William Woodruff sold 2,000 shares; Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares). Large insider sells can be interpreted negatively by the market even if they’re routine. Insider Sales Filing

Kirby Company Profile

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.