Confluence Investment Management LLC Acquires 754 Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,916 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 754 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $2,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Marten Transport by 54.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,376 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marten Transport by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,587 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $181,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Marten Transport news, Director Jerry M. Bauer bought 10,000 shares of Marten Transport stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $15.81 per share, with a total value of $158,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 156,444 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,379.64. The trade was a 6.83 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 22.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marten Transport Trading Down 1.3 %

MRTN stock opened at $15.41 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.13. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1-year low of $15.33 and a 1-year high of $20.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 36.69 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Marten Transport 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.