Royal Bank of Canada Sells 4,832 Shares of Matson, Inc. $MATX

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its stake in shares of Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) by 14.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,563 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 4,832 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Matson were worth $4,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Matson by 144.9% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 455,133 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,872,000 after acquiring an additional 269,310 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Matson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,415,000. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Matson during the first quarter worth approximately $32,761,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Matson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,276,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Matson by 27.9% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 590,763 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $65,770,000 after purchasing an additional 128,994 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MATX shares. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Matson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Matson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Matson from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Matson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Matson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Matson has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $232.33.

Matson Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of MATX stock opened at $214.48 on Friday. Matson, Inc. has a 12 month low of $86.97 and a 12 month high of $230.74. The firm has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $203.59 and a 200-day moving average of $181.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Matson (NYSE:MATX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The shipping company reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $969.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $893.91 million. Matson had a return on equity of 16.94% and a net margin of 13.41%.Matson’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.92 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Matson, Inc. will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Matson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 6th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This is a boost from Matson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Matson’s payout ratio is currently 10.16%.

Insider Transactions at Matson

In related news, SVP Kuuhaku T. Park sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.49, for a total value of $208,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,081,564.16. This trade represents a 9.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP John Warren Sullivan sold 1,917 shares of Matson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.49, for a total value of $399,675.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,590,778.70. This trade represents a 20.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,089 shares of company stock worth $1,975,717. 2.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Matson

Here are the key news stories impacting Matson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Matson’s latest quarterly results showed solid operating momentum: earnings per share of $4.27 exceeded the $3.79 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 16.7% year over year to $969.4 million, also topping expectations. Analysts forecast approximately $16.01 in full-year EPS.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has improved, with JPMorgan raising its price target to $270 and Stephens lifting its target to $260. The consensus rating is “Buy,” with an average target price of $232.33, suggesting additional potential upside based on current estimates.
• Positive Sentiment: Matson increased its quarterly dividend to $0.38 per share from $0.36, signaling confidence in cash generation. The annualized payout is $1.52 per share, although the yield remains modest at roughly 0.7%.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison examines whether MATX is outperforming transportation peers, including Seanergy Maritime Holdings, and the broader transportation sector this year. The report provides relative-performance context but does not introduce a new company-specific fundamental catalyst. Zacks Matson peer-performance article
• Negative Sentiment: Four senior vice presidents sold a combined 4,569 Matson shares for approximately $952,000 on August 11. The transactions reduced their individual holdings by about 6% to 20%, though all retained shares. Repeated executive selling could weigh on sentiment, even though insider sales can also reflect personal liquidity or diversification decisions. Matson insider-selling article

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.