Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 49,364 Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 405,681 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 49,364 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.50% of Marten Transport worth $6,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $157,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth $172,000. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens lifted their price objective on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport Stock Up 3.4 %

MRTN traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.26. 546,388 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 397,085. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.00 and a beta of 1.01. The stock's 50-day moving average is $14.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.54. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1-year low of $12.52 and a 1-year high of $19.26.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. The company had revenue of $223.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $228.79 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.89%.

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.