Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Shares Acquired by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 31.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 256,559 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,938 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $4,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth approximately $100,000. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the fourth quarter worth approximately $157,000. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRTN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens upped their price target on Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Marten Transport Price Performance

Marten Transport stock opened at $13.76 on Friday. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12 month low of $12.52 and a 12 month high of $19.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.47 and a beta of 1.04.

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

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is 88.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marten Transport news, Director Jerry M. Bauer acquired 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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. The trade was a 12.78% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 22.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.