D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Raises Holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 31.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 256,559 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 61,938 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.31% of Marten Transport worth $4,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Marten Transport by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,071,568 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $63,557,000 after buying an additional 23,201 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC grew 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 worth $49,902,000 after buying an additional 569,700 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Marten Transport by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,803,045 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $28,146,000 after buying an additional 175,059 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Marten Transport by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,492,142 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $23,292,000 after buying an additional 31,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Marten Transport by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,024,117 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,986,000 after buying an additional 83,686 shares during the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marten Transport

In related news, Director Jerry M. Bauer bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.88 per share, for a total transaction of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 176,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,272,598.72. This represents a 12.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport Price Performance

Marten Transport stock remained flat at $12.99 during trading hours on Friday. The company's stock had a trading volume of 468,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 410,895. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $13.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 38.21 and a beta of 1.04. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a twelve month low of $12.52 and a twelve month high of $19.26.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. The business had revenue of $223.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $228.79 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Marten Transport's payout ratio is 88.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens boosted their price target on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday.

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.