Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) Shares Down 4.1% – Should You Sell?

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)’s share price dropped 4.1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $15.73 and last traded at $15.63. 63,776 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 417,131 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James downgraded shares of Marten Transport from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Marten Transport from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.13 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.88.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 4.41%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new position in Marten Transport during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Marten Transport by 54.6% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,376 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marten Transport by 24.3% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,587 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the third quarter worth about $181,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Marten Transport in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.