Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 25,973 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $3,502,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.08% of Matson as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Matson in the fourth quarter worth $35,016,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in Matson in the fourth quarter valued at $34,897,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Matson by 73.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 416,473 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $56,157,000 after purchasing an additional 177,000 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Matson during the 4th quarter valued at about $20,204,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Matson by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 663,245 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $89,432,000 after buying an additional 117,545 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Leonard P. Isotoff sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.47, for a total value of $55,735.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $629,136.68. The trade was a 8.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bradley D. Tilden purchased 2,752 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $111.76 per share, for a total transaction of $307,563.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at $914,196.80. This trade represents a 50.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,182 shares of company stock worth $1,606,286. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company's stock.

Matson Trading Up 1.6%

MATX stock traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $113.49. 309,399 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 341,963. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 1.30. Matson, Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.75 and a 1-year high of $169.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Matson (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The shipping company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.16). Matson had a return on equity of 16.89% and a net margin of 12.37%. The firm had revenue of $782.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $818.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Matson, Inc. will post 13.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Matson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 8th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Matson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Matson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Matson from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Matson from $175.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Matson from $160.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.33.

Matson Profile

Matson, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of ocean transportation and logistics services. It operates through two segments, Ocean Transportation and Logistics. The Ocean Transportation segment offers ocean freight transportation services to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Japan, Alaska, and Guam, as well as to other island economies in Micronesia.