Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $14.39 and last traded at $14.44, with a volume of 366076 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.64.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Marten Transport Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.29 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.44.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 3.52%. Sell-side analysts expect that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is currently 70.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Marten Transport by 54.6% during 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. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

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.