SG Americas Securities LLC Takes $1.17 Million Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 63,533 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,172,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Marten Transport as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRTN. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Marten Transport by 88.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,319 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,561 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its position in shares of Marten Transport by 35.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 21,214 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 5,507 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marten Transport during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,058,000. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Marten Transport in the 1st quarter worth approximately $332,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,415 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marten Transport Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of MRTN traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $17.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 204,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,186. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.35 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $17.76 and a 200 day moving average of $18.01. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1 year low of $15.33 and a 1 year high of $21.92.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The transportation company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.01). Marten Transport had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 5.74%. The business had revenue of $246.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $249.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marten Transport news, President Douglas Paul Petit sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.22, for a total value of $81,990.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 31,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $575,752. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 22.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Vertical Research cut Marten Transport from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $19.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Marten Transport in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens decreased their price target on Marten Transport from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $20.00.

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.