Kuuhaku Park Sells 2,000 Shares of Matson (NYSE:MATX) Stock

Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) SVP Kuuhaku Park sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $339,580.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,289,448.36. This represents a 12.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Matson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MATX opened at $158.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Matson, Inc. has a one year low of $86.97 and a one year high of $177.51. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $151.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.78. The company has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 1.32.

Matson (NYSE:MATX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The shipping company reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.80 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Matson, Inc. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Matson Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MATX. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $167.00 price target on shares of Matson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Matson in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Matson from $190.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Matson has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.25.

Trending Headlines about Matson

Here are the key news stories impacting Matson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Matson posted a quarterly earnings beat (EPS $4.60 vs. ~ $3.69 consensus) and showed healthy margins, supporting underlying fundamentals. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend ($0.36/share, $1.44 annualized), which helps income-oriented holders and signals capital-return discipline. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: firms including Stephens raised targets and kept constructive ratings, which can attract institutional buying interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/comparative coverage including Matson appeared in broader write-ups; informative but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider selling: multiple senior executives sold shares on March 3, creating near-term negative sentiment and likely contributing to the stock decline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Largest single executive sale: EVP Peter T. Heilmann sold 13,000 shares (~$2.15M at ~ $165.46), a sizable block investors often view as a signal to reduce exposure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution: a Seeking Alpha piece flags Matson’s high valuation as a potential headwind, which can amplify selling from valuation-sensitive investors. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MATX. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in shares of Matson by 37.4% in the third quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 127,208 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $12,541,000 after purchasing an additional 34,631 shares during the period. Paradiem LLC grew its holdings in Matson by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Paradiem LLC now owns 102,721 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,127,000 after buying an additional 22,393 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Matson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $740,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Matson during the second quarter worth approximately $377,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Matson by 2.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,250,636 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $123,300,000 after acquiring an additional 35,229 shares during the period. 84.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.