MRTNMarten Transport, Ltd.

$12.75+17% 1Y

Is the business good?

Mixed

The checks split: earnings fully cash-backed (7.5×), but margins compressing.

1 good, 1 to watch, 1 neutral, 1 without data
Profits arrive as cash7.50×derived · Jun 30, 2026

Operating profit is fully backed by cash. Conversion is improving vs a year ago.

Margin direction, 3 years−10.1 pts

Operating margin has narrowed over the past few years, profitability per dollar of sales is eroding.

Where ROE comes from2% ROA

A balanced mix of margins, efficiency, and leverage. ROE 2% = margin × turnover × leverage.

Unless marked, from derived.

Where this answer is blind. The F-score rewards improvement, so an already-elite company can score mid-pack.

How good a business is MRTN?

Marten Transport, Ltd. earns 1.9% on the capital it employs against a 9.0% cost of capital, so growth costs more than it returns.

1.9%

Return on invested capital · cost of capital 9.0% · 7.1 points below what the capital costs: growth destroys value

Operating margin
1.8%

Operating margin · Trucking median 1.3% · 12 months to Q2 2026

Cash conversion
7.50×

Cash conversion · 6.33× a year ago · operating cash flow covers the operating profit after tax

Share count, year on year
+0.14%

Share count, year on year · flat: no meaningful dilution

Operating margin by fiscal year
YearOperating margin
FY202011%
FY202111%
FY202211%
FY20238.0%
FY20243.5%
FY20252.6%
Details›
Operating margin12 months to Q2 2026
1.8%
Net margin12 months to Q2 2026
1.5%
Revenue, trailing twelve months
$858M
Net income, trailing twelve months
$13M
Return on invested capitaloperating profit after tax ÷ debt + equity − cash
1.9%

Margins, capital and share counts from the statements as filed with the SEC; cash conversion is operating cash flow over operating profit after tax.