Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) Stock Position Cut by Granite Investment Partners LLC

Granite Investment Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN – Get Rating) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 947,506 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 12,494 shares during the quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $18,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Motco purchased a new stake in Marten Transport during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 31,942 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 129,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 14,756 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 218.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 22,390 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 15,366 shares during the period. Finally, MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in Marten Transport in the fourth quarter worth approximately $306,000. 68.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marten Transport news, Director Thomas J. Winkel sold 5,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.12, for a total transaction of $106,897.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 53,674 shares in the company, valued at $1,079,920.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

Marten Transport Stock Up 0.8 %

Marten Transport stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $21.71. 37,871 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 271,453. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 1-year low of $16.11 and a 1-year high of $23.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.54 and a 200 day moving average of $20.85.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 18th. The transportation company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $298.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $306.10 million. Marten Transport had a return on equity of 15.22% and a net margin of 8.26%. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Marten Transport in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

About Marten Transport

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Marten Transport Ltd. engages in the provision of temperature-sensitive truckload carrier services. It operates through the following segments: Truckload, Dedicated, Intermodal and Brokerage. The Truckload segment includes transport of food and consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment.