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KEX's Q4 Earnings Coming Up: What's in the Offing for the Stock?

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Kirby (KEX - Free Report) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2024 results on Jan. 30, before market open.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEX’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share has remained flat at $1.27 per share over the past 60 days. However, the consensus mark implies a 22.1% rise from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEX’s fourth-quarter 2024 revenues is pegged at $813.1 million, indicating 1.8% growth year over year.

KEX has an impressive earnings surprise history, having outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average beat being 9.4%.

Kirby Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Kirby Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Kirby Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Kirby Corporation Quote

Let’s see how things have shaped up for KEX this earnings season.

Factors Likely to Have Influenced KEX’s Q4 Performance

The top-line performance in the fourth quarter is expected to have benefited from positive market dynamics and steady improvement in demand.

Driven by the improvement in demand, KEXexpects overall segmental performance in the fourth quarter of 2024 to be down in the mid-single digits sequentially, with operating margins in the mid to high-single digits but lower than the third quarter of 2024. The company expects barge utilization rates to remain around the 90% range.

Supply-chain disruptions are expected to have continued to dent shipping stocks like Kirby. 

What Our Model Says About KEX

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Kirby this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here.

KEX has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors might want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat fourth-quarter 2024 earnings.

Allegiant (ALGT - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +10.23% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. ALGT is set to release fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 4.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ALGT has an encouraging earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the preceding four quarters and missing once. The average beat is 57.4%.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +5.71% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. CHRW is slated to release fourth-quarter 2024 results on Jan. 29. 

CHRW has an encouraging earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the preceding four quarters and missing once. The average beat is 10.3%.


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C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) - free report >>

Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) - free report >>

Kirby Corporation (KEX) - free report >>

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