Insider Selling: Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) President Sells $81,990.00 in Stock

Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) President Douglas Paul Petit sold 4,500 shares of Marten Transport stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $575,752. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Marten Transport Stock Performance

Shares of Marten Transport stock opened at $17.34 on Friday. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $15.33 and a fifty-two week high of $23.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.43 and a 200 day moving average of $18.69.

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

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Marten Transport’s payout ratio is 33.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marten Transport during the first quarter valued at $2,058,000. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in shares of Marten Transport during the 1st quarter valued at about $332,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Marten Transport by 8.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,415 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 9.1% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 49,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 4,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Marten Transport in the first quarter worth about $417,000. Institutional investors own 69.12% of the company’s stock.

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.