Royce & Associates LP Makes New $3.19 Million Investment in Marten Transport, Ltd. $MRTN

Royce & Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 280,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,186,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Marten Transport by 2,083.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,555 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 2,438 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marten Transport by 660.8% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,544 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marten Transport by 3,553.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 3,767 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

Marten Transport Stock Down 1.5%

MRTN opened at $17.25 on Friday. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12 month low of $9.35 and a 12 month high of $17.60. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.93. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.81 and a beta of 0.89.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.01). Marten Transport had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.89%. The firm had revenue of $203.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $207.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.05 EPS. Marten Transport’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on MRTN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Stephens cut shares of Marten Transport from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Marten Transport to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Marten Transport

Marten Transport, Inc is a North American transportation services provider offering temperature-controlled and dry van truckload services. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Mondovi, Wisconsin, the company specializes in full truckload, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal and port drayage solutions. Its core focus on refrigerated and produce freight has made it a key partner for food manufacturers, retailers and other shippers requiring strict temperature management.

The company maintains a modern fleet of tractors and trailers equipped with advanced telematics, electronic logging devices and continuous temperature monitoring.