Barclays PLC Raises Stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 140.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 136,498 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 79,689 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.17% of Marten Transport worth $2,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter worth $298,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Marten Transport by 2.1% in the third quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 117,500 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,080,000 after buying an additional 2,400 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Marten Transport by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,339,644 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $41,412,000 after purchasing an additional 14,088 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Marten Transport in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $267,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter valued at $686,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.12% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport Trading Up 0.1 %

MRTN stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $15.70. The company had a trading volume of 203,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 396,759. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 52 week low of $15.33 and a 52 week high of $21.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38 and a beta of 0.82. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.21.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $237.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $244.00 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 4.41%. Analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRTN. Raymond James downgraded Marten Transport from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jerry M. Bauer bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.81 per share, with a total value of $158,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 156,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,473,379.64. This trade represents a 6.83 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport 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.