Securian Asset Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,339 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 163 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kirby were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 38.8% during the 3rd quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $100.22 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $105.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.53. Kirby Co. has a twelve month low of $88.34 and a twelve month high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results 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 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. On average, research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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