Matson (MATX) Competitors

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) and Matson (NYSE:MATX) are both mid-cap transportation companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, community ranking and profitability.

Does the media favor KEX or MATX?

In the previous week, Kirby and Kirby both had 6 articles in the media. Matson's average media sentiment score of 1.22 beat Kirby's score of 0.79 indicating that Matson is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Kirby	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Matson	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer KEX or MATX?

Kirby received 264 more outperform votes than Matson when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 62.10% of users gave Matson an outperform vote while only 60.70% of users gave Kirby an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Kirby	Outperform Votes 536 60.70%	Underperform Votes 347 39.30%
Matson	Outperform Votes 272 62.10%	Underperform Votes 166 37.90%

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, KEX or MATX?

Matson has higher revenue and earnings than Kirby. Matson is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kirby, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kirby	$3.26B	1.83	$222.93M	$5.21	19.99
Matson	$3.32B	1.37	$297.10M	$12.02	11.39

Which has more volatility & risk, KEX or MATX?

Kirby has a beta of 1.18, suggesting that its stock price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Matson has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is KEX or MATX more profitable?

Matson has a net margin of 12.37% compared to Kirby's net margin of 9.37%. Matson's return on equity of 16.89% beat Kirby's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kirby	9.37%	9.43%	5.26%
Matson	12.37%	16.89%	9.54%

Do analysts rate KEX or MATX?

Kirby presently has a consensus price target of $123.80, suggesting a potential upside of 18.88%. Matson has a consensus price target of $135.50, suggesting a potential downside of 1.02%. Given Kirby's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Kirby is more favorable than Matson.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kirby	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Matson	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of KEX or MATX?

96.2% of Kirby shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.8% of Matson shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Kirby shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Matson shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Matson beats Kirby on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.