Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $14.55 and last traded at $14.47, with a volume of 22141 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $14.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens increased their price target on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.06 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $15.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.50.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.59%.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRTN. Nuance Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Marten Transport by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 3,196,811 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,902,000 after purchasing an additional 569,700 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Marten Transport by 3,788.8% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 263,425 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,112,000 after buying an additional 256,651 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 644.3% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 224,664 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,507,000 after buying an additional 194,481 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Marten Transport by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 875,304 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,663,000 after acquiring an additional 189,996 shares during the period. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 158.0% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 303,200 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,732,000 after acquiring an additional 185,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.12% of the company's stock.

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.