Northern Trust Corp Increases Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 933,776 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,237 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.15% of Marten Transport worth $14,576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 24,006 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 5.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,148 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 18,760 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 1,916 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,548 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 33,447 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 2,267 shares in the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marten Transport

In other news, Director Jerry M. Bauer purchased 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $12.88 per share, with a total value of $257,600.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

Marten Transport Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRTN traded down $0.15 on Wednesday, reaching $13.27. The company had a trading volume of 21,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,142. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 52-week low of $12.52 and a 52-week high of $19.26. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $13.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04 and a beta of 1.04.

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

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Marten Transport's payout ratio is 88.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRTN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Marten Transport from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Stephens raised their price objective on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport 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.