D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Increases Stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 31.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 256,559 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,938 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.31% of Marten Transport worth $4,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Marten Transport by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,071,568 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $63,557,000 after buying an additional 23,201 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC raised its position in Marten Transport by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 3,196,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,902,000 after buying an additional 569,700 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Marten Transport by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,803,045 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,146,000 after buying an additional 175,059 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Marten Transport by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,492,142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $23,292,000 after buying an additional 31,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Marten Transport by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,024,117 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $15,986,000 after buying an additional 83,686 shares during the last quarter. 69.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marten Transport Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MRTN opened at $13.76 on Friday. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 52-week low of $12.52 and a 52-week high of $19.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $13.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.07. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.47 and a beta of 1.04.

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

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Marten Transport from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Marten Transport from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at Marten Transport

In related news, Director Jerry M. Bauer acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.88 per share, with a total value of $257,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 176,444 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,598.72. This represents a 12.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 22.90% of the stock is owned by 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.