American Assets Investment Management LLC Buys 2,175 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

American Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,580 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,175 shares during the period. American Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $1,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Kirby in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 38.8% in the third quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $185,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total transaction of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $596,697.45. This represents a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kirby Price Performance

Kirby stock opened at $100.22 on Tuesday. Kirby Co. has a 12 month low of $88.34 and a 12 month high of $132.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $105.02 and its 200-day moving average is $114.53. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. Equities research analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

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.