Matson (MATX) Competitors

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

Which has better earnings & valuation, MATX or KEX?

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
Matson	$3.42B	1.08	$476.40M	$15.18	7.43
Kirby	$3.27B	2.01	$286.71M	$5.05	23.19

Does the media prefer MATX or KEX?

In the previous week, Kirby had 15 more articles in the media than Matson. MarketBeat recorded 18 mentions for Kirby and 3 mentions for Matson. Matson's average media sentiment score of 0.82 beat Kirby's score of 0.72 indicating that Matson is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Matson	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Kirby	12 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

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

84.8% of Matson shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.2% of Kirby shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Matson shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Kirby shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is MATX or KEX more profitable?

Matson has a net margin of 14.72% compared to Kirby's net margin of 9.02%. Matson's return on equity of 20.02% beat Kirby's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Matson	14.72%	20.02%	11.49%
Kirby	9.02%	9.81%	5.50%

Do analysts rate MATX or KEX?

Matson presently has a consensus target price of $138.33, suggesting a potential upside of 22.59%. Kirby has a consensus target price of $130.00, suggesting a potential upside of 10.99%. Given Matson's higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Matson is more favorable than Kirby.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Matson	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Kirby	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Which has more risk and volatility, MATX or KEX?

Matson has a beta of 1.28, indicating that its stock price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kirby has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Matson beats Kirby on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.