Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Upgraded at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens upgraded Marten Transport to a hold rating, adding to a mixed analyst picture that currently includes one Strong Buy and three Hold ratings overall.
• The stock was recently trading at $17.18, near its 52-week high of $18.48, while the company carries a market cap of about $1.40 billion.
• Marten Transport’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.02 versus $0.03 expected and revenue of $203.53 million below forecasts, while revenue also fell 8.8% year over year.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Stephens to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on MRTN. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Marten Transport in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Marten Transport to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marten Transport from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Marten Transport Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRTN opened at $17.18 on Wednesday. Marten Transport has a fifty-two week low of $9.35 and a fifty-two week high of $18.48. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $16.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.30. The company has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.43 and a beta of 0.93.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $203.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $207.20 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.89%. Marten Transport's revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.05 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marten Transport will post 0.25 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marten Transport

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marten Transport by 2,083.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,555 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,438 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marten Transport by 660.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,929 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,544 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marten Transport during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marten Transport by 3,553.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,873 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 3,767 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Marten Transport during the first quarter worth $68,000. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marten Transport

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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