Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $13.52 and last traded at $13.61, with a volume of 394407 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $13.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport Stock Down 0.3 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $15.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71 and a beta of 0.84.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its 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 return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.59%.

Institutional Trading of Marten Transport

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRTN. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 54.6% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,376 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. 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.