Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sets New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Marten Transport's stock has reached a new 52-week low, trading at $11.01, with recent analyst ratings showing a downgrade from "hold" to "sell."
• The company's quarterly earnings matched expectations at $0.09 per share, though revenue fell 6.6% compared to the previous year.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.06 has been announced, indicating a dividend yield of 2.2%, with a high payout ratio of 92.31%.

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $11.01 and last traded at $11.12, with a volume of 711632 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $19.00.

Marten Transport Stock Up 0.5%

The company's 50-day moving average is $12.06 and its 200-day moving average is $12.88. The stock has a market cap of $906.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.77 and a beta of 0.99.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.09. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 2.72% and a net margin of 2.27%.The company had revenue of $229.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $231.09 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio is currently 92.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 69.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 100,118 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 41,118 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 239.9% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,110 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 27,602 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 196,937 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,558,000 after purchasing an additional 13,538 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 378.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,610 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 4,438 shares during the period. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the second quarter worth approximately $263,000. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marten Transport Company 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.

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