Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $15.33 and last traded at $15.38, with a volume of 48839 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRTN shares. StockNews.com downgraded Marten Transport from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Raymond James lowered Marten Transport from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th.

Marten Transport Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 37.17 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.15.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The transportation company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $237.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.00 million. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 3.36%. As a group, analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $15.81 per share, with a total value of $158,100.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 156,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,473,379.64. This represents a 6.83 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 22.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marten Transport

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 6.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 692,385 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,775,000 after purchasing an additional 41,505 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 222,269 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,101,000 after buying an additional 1,162 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the second quarter worth approximately $2,124,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 1,562.2% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 65,741 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,213,000 after buying an additional 61,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Marten Transport by 106.1% in the second quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 100,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 51,563 shares in the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marten Transport Company Profile

Marten Transport, Ltd. operates as a temperature-sensitive truckload carrier for shippers in the United State, Mexico, and Canada. The company operates through four segments: Truckload, Dedicated, Intermodal, and Brokerage. The Truckload segment transports food and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment, as well as dry freight; and regional short-haul and medium-to-long-haul full-load transportation services.