Signaturefd LLC Has $185,000 Holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,746 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at about $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 3rd quarter valued at about $202,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Stock Performance

KEX opened at $101.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $104.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Kirby Co. has a 12-month low of $92.13 and a 12-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 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KEX. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Kirby Company 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.