Matson (MATX) Competitors

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) and Matson (NYSE:MATX) are both mid-cap transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Which has more risk and volatility, KEX or MATX?

Kirby has a beta of 1.09, suggesting that its stock price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Matson has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to KEX or MATX?

In the previous week, Kirby had 3 more articles in the media than Matson. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Kirby and 9 mentions for Matson. Matson's average media sentiment score of 1.20 beat Kirby's score of 0.67 indicating that Matson is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Kirby	4 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Matson	6 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals and insiders believe in KEX or MATX?

96.2% of Kirby shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.8% of Matson shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Kirby shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Matson shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is KEX or MATX more profitable?

Matson has a net margin of 14.26% compared to Kirby's net margin of 9.25%. Matson's return on equity of 18.90% beat Kirby's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kirby	9.25%	10.02%	5.63%
Matson	14.26%	18.90%	10.95%

Do analysts rate KEX or MATX?

Kirby presently has a consensus price target of $114.50, indicating a potential upside of 32.43%. Matson has a consensus price target of $131.67, indicating a potential upside of 25.34%. Given Kirby's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Kirby is more favorable than Matson.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kirby	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60
Matson	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, KEX or MATX?

Matson has higher revenue and earnings than Kirby. Matson is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kirby, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kirby	$3.27B	1.47	$286.71M	$5.29	16.34
Matson	$3.42B	0.98	$476.40M	$14.79	7.10

Summary

Matson beats Kirby on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.