Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for Kirby Earnings

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Kirby in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research analyst S. Goswami now expects that the shipping company will post earnings of $1.59 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.58. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $5.46 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q1 2026 earnings at $1.47 EPS.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The shipping company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.11. Kirby had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 8.70%. The company had revenue of $824.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $821.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. Kirby’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.80.

Kirby Stock Up 1.6 %

KEX opened at $123.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.70. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $72.11 and a fifty-two week high of $130.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $120.51 and its 200 day moving average is $117.19. The stock has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 2,853 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $361,018.62. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $668,131.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 14,031 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.29, for a total value of $1,729,881.99. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,746 shares in the company, valued at $1,571,454.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 2,853 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $361,018.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $668,131.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,012 shares of company stock worth $5,571,267. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Scout Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 66.5% in the 1st quarter. Scout Investments Inc. now owns 108,814 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $10,299,000 after buying an additional 43,465 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 21.4% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 896,257 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $85,432,000 after purchasing an additional 157,880 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 32.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 66,833 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $6,371,000 after purchasing an additional 16,373 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 201.8% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,213 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,941,000 after purchasing an additional 10,841 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of Kirby during the 1st quarter worth about $1,031,000. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.