Wall Street Zen Upgrades Matson (NYSE:MATX) to “Strong-Buy”

Matson (NYSE:MATX) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on MATX. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Matson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Freedom Broker assumed coverage on shares of Matson in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Stephens lifted their price target on Matson from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded Matson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Matson from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.25.

Matson Stock Performance

NYSE MATX opened at $211.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $227.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.38. Matson has a 1 year low of $101.98 and a 1 year high of $240.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 1.33.

Matson (NYSE:MATX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.69. Matson had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.24 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Matson will post 18.90 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Matson

In other news, SVP John Sullivan sold 1,917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.49, for a total transaction of $399,675.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,590,778.70. This trade represents a 20.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Peter T. Heilmann sold 5,000 shares of Matson stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total transaction of $1,100,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,514,395.90. The trade was a 19.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,462 shares of company stock valued at $2,695,832. Corporate insiders own 2.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Matson

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Matson in the second quarter valued at $952,903,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Matson during the 2nd quarter worth $50,637,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new position in Matson during the 2nd quarter worth $45,796,000. Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Matson by 12,239.4% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 233,584 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $51,304,000 after buying an additional 231,691 shares during the period. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Matson during the 1st quarter worth about $32,761,000. Institutional investors own 84.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Matson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Matson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 EPS was $6.96, beating the $6.27 consensus estimate, while revenue of $1.11 billion exceeded expectations and rose 26.5% year over year. China service strength contributed to the results. Matson Q3 2026: China Service Drives an 11% EPS Beat and Bullish Q4 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects Q4 operating income to be about 50% higher, with elevated China freight rates expected to persist into early 2027—supporting expectations for continued earnings strength. Matson expects Q4 operating income about 50% higher
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target from $270 to $300 and maintained an Overweight rating, signaling increased analyst optimism. Stephens stock recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Call highlights pointed to China demand, port congestion, and e-commerce as factors supporting performance, though the reports do not explain why the stock has recently traded lower. Matson Earnings Call Highlights China Strength and Cash Flow

Matson Company Profile

Matson, Inc is a transportation company focused on ocean shipping and logistics. Founded in 1882 by Captain William Matson, the company has a long history of connecting communities and businesses across the Pacific.

Matson provides ocean transportation services to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia, and the South Pacific, as well as a service linking China with the U.S. West Coast. Its operations include container shipping and the transport of goods such as vehicles and other cargo.

Through its logistics business, Matson also offers freight forwarding, intermodal transportation, and supply chain services.