Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Matson a consensus "Hold" rating (four hold, two buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $156.25.
• Matson beat expectations in the most recent quarter with $4.60 EPS vs. $3.69 consensus and $851.9M revenue, though revenue was down 4.3% year‑over‑year.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — 42,550 shares worth about $7.03M were sold in the last 90 days — while the company pays a $0.36 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.44, ~0.9% yield).

Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat 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 brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $156.25.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Matson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 15th. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Matson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Matson in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on shares of Matson from $190.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Matson Trading Up 0.2%

MATX opened at $166.77 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 1.33. Matson has a 52 week low of $86.97 and a 52 week high of $177.51. The business's 50 day moving average is $161.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Matson (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The shipping company reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.91. The business 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 company's revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Matson will post 13.27 EPS for the current year.

Matson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Matson's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.33%.

Insider Activity at Matson

In related news, EVP Peter T. Heilmann sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.46, for a total transaction of $2,150,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 32,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,407,067.34. This trade represents a 28.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Christopher A. Scott sold 2,509 shares of Matson stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $388,895.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,252,615. This trade represents a 14.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 42,550 shares of company stock worth $7,034,602 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Matson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Matson during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Matson by 124.3% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 249 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. SouthState Bank Corp purchased a new stake in Matson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Matson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Matson by 57.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 258 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.76% of the company's stock.

About Matson

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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