Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $15.93 and last traded at $15.8850, with a volume of 128587 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Marten Transport Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $13.72 and its 200-day moving average is $12.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last posted 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 net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.89%. The firm had revenue of $203.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $207.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 126.32%.

Institutional Trading of Marten Transport

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marten Transport by 2,083.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,555 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 2,438 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 660.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,544 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Marten Transport by 3,553.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 3,767 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

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.