Mariner LLC Raises Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Mariner LLC increased its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,931 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,586 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned 0.11% of Marten Transport worth $1,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Marten Transport by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 154,916 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,418,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in shares of Marten Transport by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 24,006 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,148 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in shares of Marten Transport by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 18,760 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 1,916 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Marten Transport by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 33,447 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 2,267 shares in the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marten Transport Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MRTN traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $12.75. The company had a trading volume of 64,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,603. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12-month low of $12.52 and a 12-month high of $19.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.31. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.60 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport's payout ratio is 88.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens lifted their price target on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jerry M. Bauer bought 20,000 shares of Marten Transport stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.88 per share, with a total value of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 176,444 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,598.72. The trade was a 12.78 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 22.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.