Teacher Retirement System of Texas Makes New $1.80 Million Investment in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 131,425 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,803,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.16% of Marten Transport at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 81.1% in the first quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 62,496 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $831,000 after purchasing an additional 27,996 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 9.9% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 27,927 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 2,506 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 8,296.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,595 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 12,445 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth $266,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 96,634 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 13,957 shares during the period. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

Shares of Marten Transport stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $13.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 504,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,888. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a one year low of $12.52 and a one year high of $19.26. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.93 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $13.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.03.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. Marten Transport had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The company had revenue of $223.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $228.79 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. Marten Transport's payout ratio is currently 88.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marten Transport

In other news, Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.88 per share, with a total value of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 176,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,272,598.72. This trade represents a 12.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 22.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

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.