International Assets Investment Management LLC Acquires 2,577 Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 1,997.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,706 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,577 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 36.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,364 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 3,018 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth about $252,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Marten Transport by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 14,779 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 3,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its position in Marten Transport by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 16,727 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

Marten Transport Price Performance

Shares of MRTN stock opened at $17.01 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.00 and a 200-day moving average of $18.84. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a one year low of $15.33 and a one year high of $23.38.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.12. The firm had revenue of $249.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $262.77 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Marten Transport from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Vertical Research raised Marten Transport from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th.

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.