Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Shares Purchased by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,459 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 0.7% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in Kirby by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $818,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 420.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Price Performance

Kirby stock opened at $107.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Kirby Co. has a 12-month low of $83.24 and a 12-month high of $132.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $110.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.43.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. Equities analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,955,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 7,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,980. This represents a 66.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,285 shares of company stock worth $3,114,877 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Kirby

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.