Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 56,215 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $878,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.07% of Marten Transport at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in shares of Marten Transport during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the third quarter valued at $181,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter valued at $172,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marten Transport during the third quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. 69.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Marten Transport Price Performance

MRTN stock opened at $13.20 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.86. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a twelve month low of $12.83 and a twelve month high of $19.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.82 and a beta of 1.01.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 3.52%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is 70.59%.

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.