KEX vs MATX vs SFL Stock Comparison

Kirby, Matson and Sfl Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KEX Kirby Corp
$137.21 +6.4% 1M +54.7% 1Y
Market cap
$7.24B
P/E
20.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Marine Shipping Industrials
4 wins
MATX Matson, Inc.
$231.49 +3.1% 1M +136.2% 1Y
Market cap
$6.92B
P/E
15.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.46B
Div. yield
0.63%
Marine Shipping Industrials
7 wins
SFL SFL Corp Ltd.
$12.70 -0.6% 1M +80.7% 1Y
Market cap
$1.84B
P/E
26.0x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
6.61%
Marine Shipping Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Matson leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Matson 7, Kirby 4, Sfl 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKEXMATXSFLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.24B $6.92B $1.84B KEX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.6x 15.0x 26.0x MATX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.0x 13.2x 23.1x MATX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.6% -0.2% — KEX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.2% 13.4% — MATX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.3% 14.3% — MATX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.3x 6.1x MATX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 0.63% 6.61% SFL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +54.7% +136.2% +80.7% MATX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +20.4%/yr +22.6%/yr +9.6%/yr MATX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.0% 34.6% 31.1% KEX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 45/100 45/100 KEX

Percentile Scorecard

KEXMATXSFL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisKEXMATXSFL
Valuation 41 #81 of 136 32 #93 of 136 31 #94 of 136
Growth 79 #26 of 121 23 #93 of 121 56 #54 of 121
Profitability 54 #53 of 115 59 #48 of 115 –
Financial Health 66 #50 of 143 70 #44 of 143 6 #134 of 143
Shareholder Returns 80 #17 of 82 42 #48 of 82 88 #11 of 82
Overall 64 45 45
  • KEX ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • MATX ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • SFL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodKEXMATXSFLSPY
1 month +6.4%+3.1%-0.6% -0.2%
3 months -5.6%+14.0%+4.8% +3.9%
6 months -9.1%+31.9%+11.5% +8.2%
Year to date +24.5%+87.4%+62.6% +12.9%
1 year +54.7%+136.2%+80.7% +12.3%
3 years +83.7%+159.8%+17.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +22.5%+37.5%+5.5% +23.3%
5 years +153.0%+177.2%+58.4% +67.9%
5 years, per year +20.4%+22.6%+9.6% +10.9%
10 years +131.2%+488.0%-4.3% +261.1%
10 years, per year +8.7%+19.4%-0.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKEXMATXSFLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.0%34.6%31.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.1%26.3%29.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.551.000.38 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.893.942.60 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.8%-54.4%-52.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.1%-2.4%-7.6% -1.2%
52-week high $152.59$237.28$13.74 $779.14
52-week low $88.64$97.33$7.03 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleKEXMATXSFL
P/E now vs peer median 20.6xmedian 16.3x 15.0xmedian 16.3x 26.0xmedian 16.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.0x 2.0xmedian 1.0x —median 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.8xmedian 8.7x 9.8xmedian 8.7x 11.1xmedian 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 11.4x 62.5xmedian 11.4x —median 11.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.2x 2.5xmedian 1.2x 1.8xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.65median 0.82 2.50median 0.82 -1.44median 0.82

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsKEXMATXSFL
Revenue $3.49B $3.46B –
Gross profit $1.16B – –
Operating income $488.92M $525.00M –
Net income $355.89M $463.80M $64.88M
Free cash flow $475.58M $110.70M –
EPS (diluted) $6.62 $15.31 $0.49
Cash & equivalents $38.96M $119.30M $113.10M
Total debt $1.04B $332.40M $2.38B
Shares (diluted) 53.70M 30.30M 133.06M
Enterprise value $7.02B $6.47B -$144.29B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricKEXMATXSFL
P/E 20.6x 15.0x 26.0x
P/FCF 15.2x 62.5x –
P/Operating cash flow 10.2x 11.9x –
P/S 2.1x 2.0x –
P/B 2.1x 2.5x 1.8x
P/Tangible book 2.1x 2.6x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 10.8x 9.8x 11.1x
EV/EBIT 16.9x 13.6x 29.0x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 2.1x –
EV/FCF 17.3x 64.5x –
EV/Operating cash flow 11.6x 12.2x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.65 2.50 -1.44

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKEXMATXSFL
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.6% -0.2% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 0.6% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.0% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.8% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.0% -10.2% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.6% -2.3% –
Net income growth (1Y) 17.2% -6.1% 82.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 26.8% 0.4% -18.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 23.2% 0.4% 78.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 31.6% 6.0% -18.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.4% -5.5% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 18.5% -11.0% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 82.1% -57.0% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 43.3% -42.1% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKEXMATXSFL
Gross margin 33.2% – –
EBITDA margin 21.8% 21.0% –
Operating margin 14.0% 15.2% –
Pretax margin 13.5% 15.9% –
Net margin 10.2% 13.4% –
FCF margin 13.6% 3.2% –
Operating cash flow margin 20.3% 16.9% –
Return on equity 10.4% 16.9% –
Return on assets 5.8% 10.0% –
Return on invested capital 8.3% 14.3% –
Return on capital employed 9.0% 13.0% –
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.7x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.3x –
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.7% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKEXMATXSFL
Debt / assets 16.7% 7.1% 67.8%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.1x 2.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.3x 6.1x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 3.0x –
Liabilities / assets 44.6% 41.2% 70.6%
Equity / assets 55.4% 58.8% 29.4%
Interest coverage 11.0x 79.5x –
Current ratio 1.7x 0.9x 0.4x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.27 3.96 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKEXMATXSFL
Dividend yield – 0.6% 6.6%
Net buyback yield 4.5% 3.8% –
Shareholder yield 4.5% 4.4% 6.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 9.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 40.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – -0.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -0.6% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusKEXMATXSFL
Forward P/E 20.0xFY2026 13.2xFY2026 23.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.86FY2026 $17.50FY2026 $0.55FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.4%FY2026 +26.7%FY2026 +450.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +29.0% -8.5% +76.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.49BFY2026 $3.45BFY2026 $691.35MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.0%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026 -5.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.7% +6.1% +19.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKEXMATXSFL
Held by institutions 99.6% 86.3% 43.5%
Institutions holding 464 428 223
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.1% +0.4% +15.8%
Institutions buying 252 212 133
Institutions selling 145 134 55
Buyers to sellers 1.74 1.58 2.42

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

KEXMATXSFL
KEX 1.00 0.34 0.17
MATX 0.34 1.00 0.26
SFL 0.17 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KEX, MATX and SFL?

Kirby (KEX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kirby (KEX) $7.24B, Matson (MATX) $6.92B, Sfl (SFL) $1.84B.

Which stock is cheaper, KEX, MATX and SFL?

Matson (MATX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kirby (KEX) 20.6x, Matson (MATX) 15.0x, Sfl (SFL) 26.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Matson (MATX) is cheapest (Kirby (KEX) 20.0x, Matson (MATX) 13.2x, Sfl (SFL) 23.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kirby (KEX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kirby (KEX) +6.6%, Matson (MATX) -0.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Matson (MATX) has the highest net margin (Kirby (KEX) 10.2%, Matson (MATX) 13.4%). On return on invested capital, Matson (MATX) leads (Kirby (KEX) 8.3%, Matson (MATX) 14.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Matson (MATX) returned the most: Kirby (KEX) +54.7%, Matson (MATX) +136.2%, Sfl (SFL) +80.7%. Over five years, Matson (MATX) compounded fastest (Kirby (KEX) +20.4%/yr, Matson (MATX) +22.6%/yr, Sfl (SFL) +9.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sfl (SFL) has the highest dividend yield: Matson (MATX) 0.63%, Sfl (SFL) 6.61%. Kirby (KEX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kirby (KEX) has been the steadiest (Kirby (KEX) 29.0%, Matson (MATX) 34.6%, Sfl (SFL) 31.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KEX, MATX and SFL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Matson (MATX) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.