Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Director Jerry M. Bauer Acquires 20,000 Shares of Stock

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.88 per share, for a total transaction of $257,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 176,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,272,598.72. This trade represents a 12.78 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Marten Transport Trading Down 0.4 %

MRTN opened at $12.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.85 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $13.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.32. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12-month low of $12.52 and a 12-month high of $19.26.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The business had revenue of $223.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $228.79 million. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nuance Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 3,196,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,902,000 after acquiring an additional 569,700 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Marten Transport by 3,788.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 263,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,112,000 after purchasing an additional 256,651 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 644.3% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 224,664 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,507,000 after purchasing an additional 194,481 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 875,304 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,663,000 after purchasing an additional 189,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 158.0% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 303,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,732,000 after buying an additional 185,700 shares during the period. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens raised their price target on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th.

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.