Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Shares Acquired by Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 106.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 100,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,563 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $1,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 88.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marten Transport by 7.4% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,706 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in Marten Transport during the first quarter worth about $332,000. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in Marten Transport by 35.1% in the second quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 21,214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 5,507 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Douglas Paul Petit sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.22, for a total transaction of $81,990.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 31,600 shares in the company, valued at $575,752. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Vertical Research lowered Marten Transport from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on Marten Transport in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.00.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

MRTN stock opened at $17.02 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $17.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.97 and a beta of 0.77. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1 year low of $15.33 and a 1 year high of $21.38.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The transportation company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $246.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $249.11 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 5.74%. The firm’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.80%.

About Marten Transport

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.