Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Stock Holdings Lessened by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 193,390 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 14,220 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.34% of Kirby worth $20,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Kirby by 27.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,265 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $17,418,000 after buying an additional 30,713 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Kirby by 2.2% in the third 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. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in Kirby by 27.5% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 35,353 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $4,328,000 after buying an additional 7,629 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in Kirby by 51.2% in the third quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 48,693 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $5,961,000 after buying an additional 16,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Kirby by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $40,504,000 after buying an additional 202,272 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.21, for a total transaction of $1,025,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,985,716.48. The trade was a 34.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kirby Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of KEX stock opened at $108.47 on Friday. Kirby Co. has a 12 month low of $84.56 and a 12 month high of $132.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $108.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.85. The company has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Kirby Profile

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.