Comparing Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) & DHL Group (OTCMKTS:DHLGY)

DHL Group (OTCMKTS:DHLGY) and Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and earnings.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares DHL Group and Marten Transport”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
DHL Group	$93.72 billion	0.74	$3.96 billion	$2.86	10.96
Marten Transport	$883.65 million	1.18	$17.44 million	$0.17	75.21

DHL Group has higher revenue and earnings than Marten Transport. DHL Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Marten Transport, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

DHL Group pays an annual dividend of $0.77 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Marten Transport pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. DHL Group pays out 26.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Marten Transport pays out 141.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. DHL Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

69.1% of Marten Transport shares are owned by institutional investors. 22.6% of Marten Transport shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares DHL Group and Marten Transport’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
DHL Group	4.38%	16.44%	5.22%
Marten Transport	1.47%	1.65%	1.32%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for DHL Group and Marten Transport, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
DHL Group	0	6	2	1	2.44
Marten Transport	0	3	0	1	2.50

Marten Transport has a consensus target price of $16.00, suggesting a potential upside of 25.15%. Given Marten Transport’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Marten Transport is more favorable than DHL Group.

Risk & Volatility

DHL Group has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Marten Transport has a beta of 1, indicating that its share price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.

Summary

DHL Group beats Marten Transport on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About DHL Group

Deutsche Post AG operates as a mail and logistics company in Germany, rest of Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through five segments: Express; Global Forwarding, Freight; Supply Chain; eCommerce Solutions; and Post & Parcel Germany. The Express segment offers time-definite courier and express services to business and private customers. The Global Forwarding, Freight segment provides air, ocean, and overland freight forwarding services; and offers multimodal and sector-specific solutions. This segment's business model is based on brokering transport services between customers and freight carriers. The Supply Chain segment delivers customized supply chain solutions to its customers based on modular components, including warehousing and transport services; and value-added services, such as e-fulfilment, omnichannel solutions and returns management, lead logistics partner, real estate solutions, service logistics, and packaging solutions for various industrial sectors. The eCommerce Solutions segment provides parcel delivery and cross-border non-time definite international services. The Post & Parcel Germany segment transports and delivers mail communication, parcels, physical and hybrid letters, and special products for the delivery of goods; and offers additional services, such as registered mail, cash on delivery, and insured items. Deutsche Post AG was founded in 1490 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

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. The Dedicated segment offers customized transportation solutions for individual customers' requirements using temperature-controlled trailers, dry vans, and other specialized equipment. The Intermodal segment transports customers' freight utilizing its refrigerated containers and temperature-controlled trailers on railroad flatcars for portions of trips, as well as using tractors and contracted carriers. The Brokerage segment develops contractual relationships with and arranges for third-party carriers to transport freight for customers in temperature-controlled trailers and dry vans. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a fleet of 3,349 tractors, that included 3,255 company-owned tractors and 94 tractors supplied by independent contractors. Marten Transport, Ltd. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Mondovi, Wisconsin.