Forest Hill Capital LLC Purchases 75,716 Shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Forest Hill Capital LLC lifted its stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 117.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 140,000 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,716 shares during the quarter. Marten Transport comprises about 1.7% of Forest Hill Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Forest Hill Capital LLC owned 0.17% of Marten Transport worth $2,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,071,568 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $63,557,000 after buying an additional 23,201 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC increased its position in Marten Transport by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 3,196,811 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,902,000 after purchasing an additional 569,700 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 175,059 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marten Transport by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,492,142 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $23,292,000 after purchasing an additional 31,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Marten Transport by 8.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens increased their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marten Transport

In related news, Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.88 per share, for a total transaction of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 176,444 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,598.72. This trade represents a 12.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport Price Performance

Shares of Marten Transport stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $13.82. The stock had a trading volume of 237,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,370. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.10. The firm has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60 and a beta of 1.04. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $12.52 and a fifty-two week high of $19.26.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. The company had revenue of $223.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $228.79 million. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 2.79%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Marten Transport's payout ratio is presently 88.89%.

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.