INSW vs KEX Stock Comparison

International Seaways and Kirby Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KEX Kirby Corp
$134.74 +4.5% 1M +55.1% 1Y
Market cap
$7.33B
P/E
20.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Marine Shipping Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

International Seaways leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (International Seaways 9, Kirby 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionINSWKEXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.50B $7.33B KEX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 7.1x 20.6x INSW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 6.5x 19.6x INSW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +57.4% +6.6% INSW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 62.0% 10.2% INSW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 28.3% 8.3% INSW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 1.3x INSW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +135.6% +55.1% INSW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +45.7%/yr +19.4%/yr INSW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.1% 29.0% KEX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 82/100 64/100 INSW

Percentile Scorecard

INSWKEX

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisINSWKEX
Valuation 47 #73 of 136 42 #80 of 136
Growth 81 #24 of 122 79 #26 of 122
Profitability 98 #3 of 116 53 #55 of 116
Financial Health 90 #15 of 144 64 #52 of 144
Shareholder Returns 95 #5 of 82 80 #17 of 82
Overall 82 64
  • INSW ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • KEX ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodINSWKEXSPY
1 month +7.7%+4.5% -0.8%
3 months +25.4%-7.1% +3.5%
6 months +41.1%-11.6% +7.0%
Year to date +134.2%+22.3% +12.2%
1 year +135.6%+55.1% +13.0%
3 years +131.0%+80.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year +32.2%+21.7% +23.1%
5 years +556.8%+142.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year +45.7%+19.4% +11.0%
10 years —+142.1% +258.0%
10 years, per year —+9.2% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureINSWKEXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.1%29.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.5%27.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.310.55 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 3.381.90 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.8%-38.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.0%-11.7% -1.8%
52-week high $125.00$152.59 $779.14
52-week low $46.81$88.64 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleINSWKEX
P/E now vs peer median 7.2xmedian 16.1x 20.2xmedian 16.1x
P/S now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 1.0x 2.0xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.0xmedian 8.7x 10.6xmedian 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.9xmedian 11.5x 15.0xmedian 11.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 1.2x 2.1xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.32median 0.81 0.64median 0.81

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsINSWKEX
Revenue $1.26B $3.49B
Gross profit – $1.16B
Operating income $806.76M $488.92M
Net income $779.12M $355.89M
Free cash flow $269.32M $475.58M
EPS (diluted) $15.62 $6.62
Cash & equivalents $159.40M $38.96M
Total debt $645.62M $1.04B
Shares (diluted) 49.86M 53.70M
Enterprise value $4.13B $7.11B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricINSWKEX
P/E 7.2x 20.2x
P/FCF 20.9x 15.0x
P/Operating cash flow 8.9x 10.0x
P/S 4.5x 2.0x
P/B 2.5x 2.1x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 2.1x
EV/EBITDA 6.0x 10.6x
EV/EBIT 7.3x 16.6x
EV/Revenue 4.7x 2.3x
EV/FCF 21.8x 17.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.3x 11.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.32 0.64

Growth

14 metrics
MetricINSWKEX
Revenue growth (1Y) 57.4% 6.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 5.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 193.8% 18.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 22.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 226.4% 17.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.8% 26.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 223.8% 23.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 31.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 67.3% 21.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.7% 18.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 34.3% 82.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -14.9% 43.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricINSWKEX
Gross margin – 33.2%
EBITDA margin 77.6% 21.8%
Operating margin 64.2% 14.0%
Pretax margin 61.4% 13.5%
Net margin 62.0% 10.2%
FCF margin 21.4% 13.6%
Operating cash flow margin 50.4% 20.3%
Return on equity 34.6% 10.4%
Return on assets 26.2% 5.8%
Return on invested capital 28.3% 8.3%
Return on capital employed 28.7% 9.0%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.8x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricINSWKEX
Debt / assets 21.4% 16.7%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 25.0% 44.6%
Equity / assets 75.0% 55.4%
Interest coverage 19.7x 11.0x
Current ratio 5.9x 1.7x
Quick ratio 7.3x 1.0x
Cash ratio 3.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 6.40 3.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricINSWKEX
Dividend yield 7.1% –
Net buyback yield – 4.6%
Shareholder yield 7.1% 4.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusINSWKEX
Forward P/E 6.5xFY2026 19.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.52FY2026 $6.86FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +223.2%FY2026 +8.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -35.2% +29.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.35BFY2026 $3.49BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +64.2%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -10.4% +4.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersINSWKEX
Held by institutions 81.7% 99.6%
Institutions holding 364 464
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.2% -0.1%
Institutions buying 228 252
Institutions selling 86 145
Buyers to sellers 2.65 1.74

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

INSWKEX
INSW 1.00 0.18
KEX 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, INSW and KEX?

Kirby (KEX) is the largest by market capitalisation: International Seaways (INSW) $5.50B, Kirby (KEX) $7.33B.

Which stock is cheaper, INSW and KEX?

International Seaways (INSW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (International Seaways (INSW) 7.1x, Kirby (KEX) 20.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, International Seaways (INSW) is cheapest (International Seaways (INSW) 6.5x, Kirby (KEX) 19.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

International Seaways (INSW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: International Seaways (INSW) +57.4%, Kirby (KEX) +6.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

International Seaways (INSW) has the highest net margin (International Seaways (INSW) 62.0%, Kirby (KEX) 10.2%). On return on invested capital, International Seaways (INSW) leads (International Seaways (INSW) 28.3%, Kirby (KEX) 8.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year International Seaways (INSW) returned the most: International Seaways (INSW) +135.6%, Kirby (KEX) +55.1%. Over five years, International Seaways (INSW) compounded fastest (International Seaways (INSW) +45.7%/yr, Kirby (KEX) +19.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kirby (KEX) has been the steadiest (International Seaways (INSW) 40.1%, Kirby (KEX) 29.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do INSW and KEX move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.18, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, INSW and KEX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, International Seaways (INSW) leads on 9. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.