Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.06

Key Points

• Marten Transport declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per share ($0.24 annualized), payable June 30 to shareholders of record on June 16, implying a yield of about 1.6%.
• The company missed Q1 expectations, reporting EPS of $0.02 versus $0.03 expected and revenue down 8.8% year‑over‑year to $203.5 million, though the dividend is currently covered with a payout ratio around 46%.
• Analyst sentiment has improved with several recent upgrades, leaving an average MarketBeat rating of "Moderate Buy" (one Strong Buy and three Holds), while the stock trades near a P/E of 77.8 and a market cap of about $1.22 billion.

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of 0.06 per share by the transportation company on Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th.

Marten Transport has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years. Marten Transport has a payout ratio of 46.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Marten Transport to earn $0.47 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 51.1%.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

Marten Transport stock opened at $14.92 on Wednesday. Marten Transport has a one year low of $9.35 and a one year high of $15.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.85 and a beta of 0.89.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.01). Marten Transport had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.89%. The firm had revenue of $203.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $207.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.05 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marten Transport will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRTN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Marten Transport from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird upgraded Marten Transport to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research raised Marten Transport from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Stephens cut shares of Marten Transport from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marten Transport from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marten Transport has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Marten Transport Company Profile

Marten Transport, Inc is a North American transportation services provider offering temperature-controlled and dry van truckload services. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Mondovi, Wisconsin, the company specializes in full truckload, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal and port drayage solutions. Its core focus on refrigerated and produce freight has made it a key partner for food manufacturers, retailers and other shippers requiring strict temperature management.

The company maintains a modern fleet of tractors and trailers equipped with advanced telematics, electronic logging devices and continuous temperature monitoring.

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