Vanguard Group Inc. Has $45.68 Million Stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. $MRTN

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,013,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 228,029 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $45,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 1.7% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 76,690 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $818,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 4.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 3.4% in the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 48,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 12.0% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 17,028 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 4.3% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 49,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,051 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

Marten Transport Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:MRTN opened at $15.52 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $13.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.69 and a beta of 0.89. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12-month low of $9.35 and a 12-month high of $15.94.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $203.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $207.20 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.89%. Marten Transport’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.05 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MRTN. Weiss Ratings raised Marten Transport from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research raised Marten Transport from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Stephens lowered Marten Transport from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Marten Transport to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marten Transport currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Marten Transport

Marten Transport, Inc is a North American transportation services provider offering temperature-controlled and dry van truckload services. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Mondovi, Wisconsin, the company specializes in full truckload, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal and port drayage solutions. Its core focus on refrigerated and produce freight has made it a key partner for food manufacturers, retailers and other shippers requiring strict temperature management.

The company maintains a modern fleet of tractors and trailers equipped with advanced telematics, electronic logging devices and continuous temperature monitoring.