Jon Markman
In these choppy markets, we are seeing some real strength, as I've written several times here, in agriculture and mining. Now you know that getting coal, steel and grain from one end of the country to the other is the work of our awesome national rail and trucking system.
But the role of our inland and coastal waterways is much underappreciated. So today I suggest that you take quick look at little-known Kirby(KEX Quote - Cramer on KEX - Stock Picks), which operates the largest U.S. fleet of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby's market share and economies of scale absolutely dwarf its closest peers. The company has two main segments: Inland Marine Transportation and Engine Systems. So beyond transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the company also overhauls and services medium- and high-speed diesel engines for marine, power-generation and railroad applications. Kirby's strong recent growth depends on the framework of the U.S. heartland. There are simply few substitutes to river barge transportation for many of the petrochemical facilities, and much-faster shipping by truck or rail is just too expensive. Consider that a barge can transport a ton of cargo 522 miles on one gallon of fuel, while a train can haul a ton only 403 miles for the same amount of fuel and a truck can only take it 80 miles. This gives the few companies that operate barges throughout the Mississippi River System's inland waterways a cut at a market with highly inelastic pricing. With control of a third of the tank barges that travel on U.S. waterways -- about twice as many as the next largest operator -- Kirby's scale sets it apart from its peers and allows the company to offer quicker service to more customers. High demand for oil and chemicals in the last year has only fueled the imbalance of supply and demand for tanker barges, and Kirby has translated the quick turnaround of its vessels into asset utilization rates that almost reach 100%. Only hurricanes and seasonal weather have slowed its inland fleet of 904 tank barges and 241 towing vessels from transporting petrochemicals, pressurized products, black oil, refined petroleum and agricultural chemical products throughout the Mississippi River System and Gulf Coast. The company's diesel engine services segment accounts for about a quarter of its total revenues, and acquisitions over the past year have helped it boost profits to record levels. The division's original focus was overhauling and servicing medium-speed diesel engines, which are often used to power large electrical generators and ships. It has recently expanded its operations, though, to sell more diesel engine parts and service high-speed diesel engines. And the three acquisitions that the company made in 2007 boosted its business in high-speed rail engine services and power generation. Shares of the Houston-based company have rallied sharply in the face of the broader market declines of the last month, posting a 32% gain since they bottomed out in early January. Buyers kept shares marching higher after management said that earnings would exceed projections just weeks before it reported results. And exceed optimistic expectations is exactly what they did. Kirby said that net earnings for the fourth quarter rose 47% from the same quarter a year ago, to $34.4 million from $23.4 million, and revenue was up 22% over the same period. Earnings per share of 64 cents beat the Street's consensus range of 57 cents to 62 cents per share with unexpected ease. The up quarter was the sixteenth straight for Kirby, and the fundamentals of both of its segments make similar future results look very likely, as guidance from this normally conservative outfit was unusually positive. In summary, barges might not generate the excitement of the brokerage business or tech, but they do produce a steady income even during soft spots in the economy. Kirby shares almost doubled during the 2001 recession, after all, rising from around $8.50 to $16.50. Lift that bale.
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