Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Shares Sold by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP trimmed its position in shares of Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 631,401 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 23,447 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 0.78% of Marten Transport worth $13,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRTN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Marten Transport by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,839,975 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $122,524,000 after buying an additional 27,091 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Marten Transport by 47.3% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,406,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,506,000 after buying an additional 451,340 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its position in Marten Transport by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,135,410 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $23,821,000 after buying an additional 97,260 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Marten Transport by 11.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 893,616 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,613,000 after buying an additional 91,508 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Marten Transport by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 780,794 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,381,000 after buying an additional 27,507 shares during the period. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marten Transport Price Performance

MRTN stock opened at $18.14 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.55 and a beta of 0.76. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12 month low of $15.33 and a 12 month high of $23.38.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.12. The business had revenue of $249.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.77 million. Marten Transport had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is 33.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Marten Transport in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Marten Transport from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Insider Activity at Marten Transport

In related news, President Douglas Paul Petit sold 4,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the president now owns 31,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $575,752. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

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.