Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $13.23 and last traded at $13.28, with a volume of 74596 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $13.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stephens boosted their target price on 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 Stock Down 1.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.32 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.80.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Marten Transport's payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

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