Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $156.25.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MATX shares. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Matson from $190.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $167.00 price target on shares of Matson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Matson in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Matson

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MATX. Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in shares of Matson by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 11,867 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 2,278 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Matson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $760,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Matson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Matson in the 4th quarter valued at $1,725,000. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. purchased a new position in Matson in the 4th quarter valued at $6,303,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.76% of the company’s stock.

Matson Stock Performance

Shares of Matson stock opened at $167.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $144.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Matson has a 52 week low of $86.97 and a 52 week high of $169.20.

Matson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Matson’s dividend payout ratio is 10.96%.

Matson Company Profile

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.