Shay Capital LLC Takes Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Shay Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 22,199 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Nuance Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Marten Transport by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 3,196,811 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,902,000 after purchasing an additional 569,700 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Marten Transport by 3,788.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 263,425 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,112,000 after buying an additional 256,651 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Marten Transport by 644.3% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 224,664 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,507,000 after buying an additional 194,481 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Marten Transport by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 875,304 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,663,000 after buying an additional 189,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 158.0% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 303,200 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,732,000 after acquiring an additional 185,700 shares during the period. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jerry M. Bauer bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.88 per share, for a total transaction of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 176,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,272,598.72. This represents a 12.78% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on MRTN shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Marten Transport from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Marten Transport stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $12.95. 104,606 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 408,831. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.36 and a 200-day moving average of $15.02. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1 year low of $12.52 and a 1 year high of $19.26.

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

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Marten Transport's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.89%.

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.