Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating on Matson (4 holds, 2 buys) with an average 12‑month price target of $156.25.
• Insiders, including two executive vice presidents, sold a total of 40,041 shares worth about $6.65 million in the past 90 days, leaving insiders with roughly 2.05% ownership.
• Matson beat expectations last quarter with EPS $4.60 vs. $3.69 expected and revenue of $851.9M vs. $847.3M, while revenue was down 4.3% YoY; the stock trades near $154 with a P/E of 11.04 and a 0.9% dividend yield.

Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $156.25.

MATX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Matson from $190.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Matson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Matson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Matson in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Insider Activity at Matson

In other Matson news, EVP John P. Lauer sold 8,603 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.13, for a total transaction of $1,429,216.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,738 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,943,593.94. This trade represents a 26.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Peter T. Heilmann sold 13,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.46, for a total transaction of $2,150,980.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 32,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,407,067.34. This trade represents a 28.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 40,041 shares of company stock valued at $6,645,707 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Matson by 124.3% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 249 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Matson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Matson during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Matson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, SouthState Bank Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Matson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 84.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Matson Price Performance

Shares of MATX stock opened at $153.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. Matson has a fifty-two week low of $86.97 and a fifty-two week high of $177.51. The firm has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.32. The business's 50 day moving average price is $154.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.30.

Matson (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The shipping company reported $4.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $851.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $847.30 million. Matson had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 13.30%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Matson will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Matson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Matson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.33%.

Matson Company Profile

Matson, Inc NYSE: MATX is a U.S.-based provider of ocean transportation and supply chain logistics services with a focus on Pacific trade lanes. The company operates a fleet of container ships that regularly service Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia and other Pacific islands, as well as mainland U.S. ports. Matson's ocean transportation segment offers scheduled liner services, expedited shipping options and specialized project cargo handling for industries ranging from retail to heavy machinery.

In addition to its core liner operations, Matson offers ocean transportation services between Asia and the U.S.

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