Matson (MATX) Competitors

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

Do analysts rate KEX or MATX?

Kirby currently has a consensus price target of $113.40, suggesting a potential upside of 37.96%. Matson has a consensus price target of $131.67, suggesting a potential upside of 41.80%. Given Matson's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Matson is more favorable than Kirby.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kirby	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.57
Matson	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.17

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%

Does the media favor KEX or MATX?

In the previous week, Kirby had 3 more articles in the media than Matson. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Kirby and 10 mentions for Matson. Kirby's average media sentiment score of 0.61 beat Matson's score of 0.49 indicating that Kirby is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Kirby	4 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Matson	3 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has better 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	1.40	$286.71M	$5.29	15.54
Matson	$3.42B	0.86	$476.40M	$14.79	6.28

Which has more volatility and risk, KEX or MATX?

Kirby has a beta of 1, meaning that its share price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, Matson has a beta of 1.21, meaning that its share price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of KEX or MATX?

96.2% of Kirby shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.8% of Matson shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Kirby shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Matson shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

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