Royal Bank of Canada Has $4.68 Million Holdings in Matson, Inc. $MATX

Royal Bank of Canada cut its position in shares of Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,563 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 4,832 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.09% of Matson worth $4,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Matson by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,840 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,090 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Matson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,761,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Matson by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,749 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,418,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in Matson by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 11,274 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,848,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the period. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Matson by 42.8% in the first quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 72,827 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $11,939,000 after purchasing an additional 21,811 shares in the last quarter. 84.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MATX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens raised their target price on Matson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Matson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Matson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Matson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Matson from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.33.

Key Matson News

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

Matson Trading Up 0.0%

Matson 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $203.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.29.

Matson (NYSE:MATX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The shipping company reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $969.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.91 million. Matson had a return on equity of 16.94% and a net margin of 13.41%.Matson’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.92 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Matson, Inc. will post 16.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Matson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. Matson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Matson

In related news, SVP Kuuhaku T. Park sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.49, for a total value of $208,490.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,081,564.16. This represents a 9.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Laura L. Rascon sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.53, for a total transaction of $527,884.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,951,625.68. The trade was a 15.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,089 shares of company stock worth $1,975,717 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.51% of the company’s stock.

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.