Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,180,000 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the November 15th total of 1,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 259,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Marten Transport Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ MRTN traded down $0.02 on Friday, reaching $19.85. 1,402,803 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 288,575. Marten Transport has a fifty-two week low of $17.34 and a fifty-two week high of $23.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.27 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.32.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 18th. The transportation company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.01). Marten Transport had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 11.46%. The firm had revenue of $279.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $280.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Marten Transport will post 0.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRTN has been the topic of a number of research reports. TheStreet lowered Marten Transport from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Marten Transport in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Marten Transport

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marten Transport

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRTN. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marten Transport by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,788 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 146,896 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,470,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 35,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Marten Transport by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 51,549 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Marten Transport by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 61,852 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.46% of the company’s stock.

About Marten Transport (Get Free Report)

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.

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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest