Matson (NYSE:MATX) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 4th, 2026

Shares of Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX – Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $207.45, but opened at $228.00. Matson shares last traded at $216.5290, with a volume of 167,314 shares.

The shipping company reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $0.48. Matson had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 12.92%.The company had revenue of $969.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.92 EPS. Matson’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Matson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 6th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This is an increase from Matson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 6th. Matson’s payout ratio is presently 10.58%.

Trending Headlines about Matson

Here are the key news stories impacting Matson this week:

Positive Sentiment: Matson reported diluted EPS of $4.27, up from $2.92 a year earlier and above analyst estimates of approximately $3.74–$3.79. Revenue rose 16.7% year over year to $969.4 million, exceeding consensus expectations. Matson Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Profitability strengthened significantly: net income increased 36.6% to $129.4 million, operating income rose 40.6% to $158.9 million, and EBITDA climbed to $211.0 million from $163.6 million. Matson Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year outlook, providing an additional catalyst by signaling confidence in continued operating performance. Matson also repurchased approximately 0.3 million shares during the quarter. Matson Raises Full-Year Outlook
Positive Sentiment: Operating cash flow reached $137.6 million, while cash and equivalents increased to $119.3 million, more than doubling from the prior year.
Neutral Sentiment: Capital spending increased to $181.8 million, above quarterly operating cash flow, reflecting elevated investment needs but potentially supporting future capacity and growth.
Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity was entirely selling over the past six months, with 35 sales and no purchases. While such transactions may be scheduled or diversification-related, the pattern could temper sentiment at a stock trading near its 52-week high. Matson Q2 Earnings and Insider Activity

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Matson to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Matson in a research note on Monday, April 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. Stephens upped their price objective on Matson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Matson in a report on Friday, May 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $219.00.

Read Our Latest Report on MATX

Insider Transactions at Matson

In other Matson news, SVP Grace M. Cerocke sold 1,200 shares of Matson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.57, for a total transaction of $220,284.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 17,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,301,690.02. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peter T. Heilmann sold 7,173 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.19, for a total value of $1,292,502.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,595,926.14. The trade was a 21.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 23,963 shares of company stock worth $4,349,268. Insiders own 2.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Matson

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Matson by 144.9% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 455,133 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $44,872,000 after buying an additional 269,310 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Matson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,415,000. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Matson during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,761,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Matson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,276,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Matson by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 590,763 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $65,770,000 after acquiring an additional 128,994 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.76% of the company’s stock.

Matson Stock Up 4.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.87.

Matson Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.