Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Takes Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 38,730 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Marten Transport during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Marten Transport by 54.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,376 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Marten Transport by 88.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,319 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marten Transport by 24.3% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,587 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Marten Transport during the third quarter valued at $181,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.12% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MRTN traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.27. The stock had a trading volume of 260,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 397,296. The business's 50 day moving average price is $16.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.32. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1 year low of $15.33 and a 1 year high of $21.38. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12 and a beta of 0.82.

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). Marten Transport had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business had revenue of $237.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $244.00 million. Analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Marten Transport's payout ratio is 57.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Raymond James cut Marten Transport from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marten Transport

In other Marten Transport news, Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 10,000 shares of Marten Transport stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.81 per share, for a total transaction of $158,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 156,444 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,379.64. This represents a 6.83 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.90% 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.