# Marten Transport Ltd. (MRTN) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-11-04. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Industrials / Rail & Road Transport. Price $12.05, market value $984 million.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 75.3×** (5-yr avg 30.6×, 3-yr avg 41.1×). Marten Transport Ltd. trades at 75.3× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 30.6×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Industrials median in the September 2026 study was 25.7×. Forward P/E is 23.3×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 1.1×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 1.1×.
- **Price / book: 1.3×**. The shares trade at 1.3× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 8.2×**. Enterprise value is 8.2× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Earnings yield: 1.3%**. The inverse of the P/E: 1.3% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 1.8%**. 1.8% of revenue is left after running the business, which leaves little cushion in a downturn.
- **Net margin: 2.0%**. 2.0% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 2.3%**. 2.3% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 1.7%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 1.7%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 1.3%**. Each dollar of assets produces 1.3% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -8.3%** (3-yr -11.2%/yr, 5-yr 0.2%/yr). Revenue fell 8.3% over the last year, against 0.2% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -36.4%** (3-yr -46.2%/yr, 5-yr -24.2%/yr). Earnings per share fell 36.4%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.01**. Debt is 0.01 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: net cash**. Marten Transport Ltd. holds more cash than debt.
- **Current ratio: 1.86** (quick 1.86). Current assets cover the next year's liabilities 1.86 times.
- **Altman Z-score: 5.48**. A Z-score of 5.48 places the company in the safe zone for bankruptcy risk.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.99%** ($0.24 per share, trailing). Marten Transport Ltd. yields 1.99%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 112%**. The dividend exceeds earnings (112% payout), which is rarely sustainable outside REITs and one-off years.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 3**. 3 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): -17.6%/yr** (1-yr 0.0%). The dividend has not grown over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (2 analysts). 2 analysts cover Marten Transport Ltd.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $15.75 (+31% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 20.9%** (YTD 6.8%, 3-mo -19.7%). The shares are up 20.9% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -34.8%** (28.9% above the low). Trading 35% below its 52-week high, deep in a drawdown.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 40**. An RSI of 40 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.79** (volatility 31%). Beta of 0.79 against the S&P 500: the shares move roughly with the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=MRTN · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/mrtn

Not investment advice.