Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) was downgraded by analysts at Vetr from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. They currently have a $67.34 target price on the stock. Vetr‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 3.11% from the company’s current price.
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C raised its stake in Kirby by 49.7% in the first quarter. Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C now owns 3,286,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,143,000 after buying an additional 1,091,721 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in Kirby by 755.0% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,052,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,455,000 after buying an additional 929,400 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at $39,840,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Kirby by 282.1% in the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 848,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,658,000 after buying an additional 626,609 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Kirby by 71.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,235,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,009,000 after buying an additional 515,343 shares during the period.
In other Kirby news, Director William M. Lamont, Jr. sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.22, for a total value of $210,770.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 50,314 shares in the company, valued at $3,029,909.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.25, for a total transaction of $34,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 19,482 shares in the company, valued at $1,349,128.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.
Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 27th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $458.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.51 million. The company’s revenue was down 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Kirby will post $3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on KEX. RBC Capital cut shares of Kirby from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 28th. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $66.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, January 29th. FBR & Co. reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Kirby in a research note on Thursday, January 28th. Cowen and Company reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kirby in a research note on Thursday, January 28th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.76.
Kirby Corporation is the domestic tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products. The Company, through its subsidiaries, operates in two segments: Marine Transportation and Diesel Engine Services. The Marine Transportation segment is a provider of marine transportation services, operating tank barges and towing vessels transporting bulk liquid products.
To view Vetr’s full report, visit Vetr’s official website.
