TCW Group Inc. Acquires 7,082 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

TCW Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 35.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,110 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,082 shares during the quarter. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Kirby were worth $2,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter worth approximately $409,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Kirby by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 14,400 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,524,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter worth $257,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 22,313 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after buying an additional 3,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth $2,099,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 represents a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $102.68 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $107.40 and its 200 day moving average is $116.57. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $85.40 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.45.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. Research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

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.