Kirby Corporation Stock Gains Analyst Upgrades and Institutional Buying

Analysts at Citigroup raised their price target for Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) to $170, suggesting a potential upside of about 29% from the prior close. The brokerage maintains a "buy" rating, and other firms such as Evercore, Bank of America and BTIG also issued bullish price targets and ratings. Kirby reported second‑quarter revenue of $922.4 million, up 7.8% year‑over‑year, and earnings per share of $1.67, beating consensus estimates.

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holding in Kirby by purchasing 33,438 shares, bringing its stake to 41,205 shares (about 0.08% of the company). Several other institutional investors, including Maseco LLP, Rothschild Investment LLC, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC, Parallel Advisors LLC and Root Financial Partners LLC, also adjusted their positions during the quarter. Institutional ownership of Kirby now totals roughly 96% of the outstanding shares.