Short Interest in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Expands By 21.2%

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,993,268 shares, an increase of 21.2% from the December 31st total of 1,645,096 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,206,190 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,206,190 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

Shares of MRTN traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $13.63. 885,220 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,046,840. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.87 and its 200 day moving average is $11.39. Marten Transport has a 1-year low of $9.35 and a 1-year high of $15.49. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.98 and a beta of 0.86.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $210.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $207.22 million. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 2.27% and a net margin of 1.97%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marten Transport 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 Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Marten Transport in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Marten Transport from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, Marten Transport presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Institutional Trading of Marten Transport

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new position in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth about $124,000. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 299,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,409,000 after buying an additional 36,557 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 487,595 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,549,000 after buying an additional 88,891 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 21,102 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 7,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Institutional investors own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

About Marten Transport

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.