Clearbridge Investments LLC Cuts Holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN)

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its holdings in Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 668,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,656 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Marten Transport were worth $10,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRTN. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Marten Transport in the 3rd quarter worth about $181,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marten Transport by 4.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 940,431 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,646,000 after acquiring an additional 38,990 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marten Transport by 5.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 217,232 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,845,000 after purchasing an additional 11,883 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Marten Transport by 120.6% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 138,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,452,000 after purchasing an additional 75,721 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marten Transport in the third quarter worth approximately $216,000. 69.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens boosted their target price 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 Trading Up 0.8 %

MRTN opened at $13.91 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.61 and its 200 day moving average is $15.90. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.91 and a beta of 1.01. Marten Transport, Ltd. has a 12-month low of $13.45 and a 12-month high of $19.26.

Marten Transport (NASDAQ:MRTN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.01. Marten Transport had a net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 3.52%. As a group, analysts predict that Marten Transport, Ltd. will post 0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marten Transport Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Marten Transport’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.