Leonard Isotoff Sells 1,500 Shares of Matson (NYSE:MATX) Stock

Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) SVP Leonard Isotoff sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.32, for a total transaction of $247,980.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,285,693.64. The trade was a 16.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Matson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MATX opened at $158.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $151.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.78. Matson, Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.97 and a 52 week high of $177.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Matson (NYSE:MATX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The shipping company reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.91. Matson had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 13.30%.The business had revenue of $851.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $847.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Matson, Inc. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Matson Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting 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 Investors Weigh In On Matson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Matson by 124.3% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 249 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Matson during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Matson by 67.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Matson in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in Matson during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.