Matthews International (NASDAQ:MATW) Trading Up 7.3% - What's Next?

Matthews International Co. (NASDAQ:MATW - Get Free Report) shares traded up 7.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $27.15 and last traded at $26.79. 58,294 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 258,238 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.97.

Matthews International Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $799.31 million, a P/E ratio of -13.10 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.49 and a 200-day moving average of $26.01.

Matthews International (NASDAQ:MATW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.12). Matthews International had a negative net margin of 3.48% and a positive return on equity of 12.42%. Research analysts predict that Matthews International Co. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Matthews International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Matthews International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -50.76%.

Institutional Trading of Matthews International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MATW. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Matthews International by 551.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 906 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Matthews International by 797.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 951 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Matthews International by 63.7% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,937 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Matthews International by 1,865.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 4,271 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Matthews International by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.08% of the company's stock.

About Matthews International

Matthews International Corporation provides brand solutions, memorialization products, and industrial technologies worldwide. It operates through three segments: Memorialization, Industrial Technologies, and SGK Brand Solutions. The Memorialization segment provides bronze and granite memorials, upright granite memorials and monuments, concrete burial vaults, cremation memorialization products, granite benches, flower vases, crypt plates and letters, cremation urns, niche units, cemetery features, and statues, as well as bronze plaques, letters, emblems, vases, lights and photo ceramics, granite monuments, mausoleums, crypts, and flush memorials.