What Happened?

Shares of marine transportation service company Kirby (NYSE:KEX) jumped 7.5% in the afternoon session after the company reported decent fourth quarter results. Revenue was in line, and EBITDA beat. EPS missed significantly, but this was due to a one-time impairment charge. Growth was also slowed by seasonal softness in marine transportation and distribution services. Overall, it was a solid quarter when adjusting for these temporary setbacks.

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What The Market Is Telling Us

Kirby’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 4 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

Kirby is up 8.6% since the beginning of the year, but at $114.00 per share, it is still trading 12.7% below its 52-week high of $130.55 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Kirby’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,467.

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