KIRBY CORPORATION vs Matson, Inc., two Marine Shipping stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where KEX and MATX diverge most: on revenue growth, KEX reads +5.5% and MATX reads -4.5%; on debt / equity, KEX reads 0.29 and MATX reads 0.14. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's KEX price has a different growth bar priced in than MATX (+9.7% implied for KEX vs +8.8% for MATX); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What KEX's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (segment-resolved basis). What MATX's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | KEX | MATX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $148.65 | $210.81 |
| Market cap | $8.0B | $6.5B |
| Sector | Marine Shipping | Marine Shipping |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +9.7% | +8.8% |
| P/E | 22.9 | 15.6 |
| P/B | 2.35 | 2.36 |
| P/S | 2.35 | 1.94 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.7 | 14.1 |
| Revenue growth | +5.5% | -4.5% |
| Operating margin | 12.8% | 8.1% |
| Net margin | 10.5% | 12.9% |
| Return on equity | 10.5% | 15.7% |
| Return on assets | 5.9% | 9.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 8.8% | 12.8% |
| FCF yield | 6.2% | 3.1% |
| Dividend yield | — | 0.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.29 | 0.14 |
| Current ratio | 1.59 | 0.82 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.48 | 7.49 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.