Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. $MRTN

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,013,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 228,029 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 4.92% of Marten Transport worth $45,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRTN. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,271 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,447 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 3.4% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 48,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 12.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 17,028 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 4.3% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 49,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 2,051 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

Marten Transport Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRTN opened at $15.52 on Friday. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1-year low of $9.35 and a 1-year high of $15.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 81.69 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.75 and its 200-day moving average is $12.45.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.01). Marten Transport had a return on equity of 1.89% and a net margin of 1.68%.The firm had revenue of $203.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $207.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.05 EPS. Marten Transport’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is currently 126.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Marten Transport Company Profile

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.