Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Matson (NYSE:MATX) Stock Price

Matson (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by stock analysts at Stephens from $175.00 to $150.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the shipping company's stock. Stephens' price target suggests a potential upside of 55.87% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Matson in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Matson from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Matson has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.00.

Matson Stock Performance

Shares of Matson stock traded down $13.84 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $96.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 337,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,170. The business's fifty day moving average price is $118.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.40. Matson has a one year low of $92.90 and a one year high of $169.12. The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.02 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Matson (NYSE:MATX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The shipping company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.16). Matson had a return on equity of 16.89% and a net margin of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $782.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $818.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Matson will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Matson news, SVP Richard S. Kinney sold 1,997 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.11, for a total value of $273,808.67. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,155,151.75. This trade represents a 19.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John P. Lauer sold 7,985 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.73, for a total transaction of $1,075,819.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,394,118.16. This trade represents a 24.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Matson by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,229 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Matson by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 16,189 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Matson in the fourth quarter worth about $9,788,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Matson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,645 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,244,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paradiem LLC grew its holdings in shares of Matson by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Paradiem LLC now owns 90,036 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $12,140,000 after purchasing an additional 1,909 shares during the last quarter. 84.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Matson Company 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.

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