19,839 Shares in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Acquired by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 19,839 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,099,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kirby by 2.1% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Kirby by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $818,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of KEX opened at $102.68 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.53. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.19.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. Sell-side analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.