Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $13.52 and last traded at $13.61, with a volume of 394407 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Marten Transport Trading Down 0.3 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $15.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71 and a beta of 0.84.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 3.52%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,192 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Marten Transport

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.