MONDOVI, Wis., July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marten Transport, Ltd. (Nasdaq/GS:MRTN) today reported the highest operating revenue and operating income for any quarter in Marten’s history – and the best operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges, for any quarter since Marten became a public company in 1986. For the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, net income improved 18.1% to $21.4 million, or 26 cents per diluted share, from $18.1 million, or 22 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2020. For the first six months of 2021, net income improved 23.8% to $39.4 million, or 47 cents per diluted share, from $31.9 million, or 38 cents per diluted share, for the first six months of 2020.
| Operating Results Comparison | |||||||||||||||
| Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | ||||||||||||
| Increase | Increase | Increase | Increase | ||||||||||||
| Three Months | Six Months | Year | Year | ||||||||||||
| Ended | Ended | Ended | Ended | ||||||||||||
| June 30, | June 30, | December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2021 vs. 2020 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | 2019 vs. 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Operating revenue | 9.4 | % | 5.7 | % | 3.7 | % | 7.1 | % | |||||||
| Operating revenue, net of fuel surcharges | 5.0 | % | 3.7 | % | 6.8 | % | 8.6 | % | |||||||
| Operating income | 12.9 | % | 21.3 | % | 21.9 | % | 8.7 | % | |||||||
| Net income | 18.1 | % | 23.8 | % | 13.8 | % | 11.0 | % | |||||||
Operating revenue improved 9.4% to a record $232.4 million for the second quarter of 2021 from $212.4 million for the second quarter of 2020, and improved 5.7% to $455.5 million for the first six months of 2021 from $431.0 million for the first six months of 2020. Excluding fuel surcharges, operating revenue improved 5.0% to $203.7 million for the 2021 quarter from $194.0 million for the 2020 quarter, and improved 3.7% to $401.8 million for the first six months of 2021 from $387.4 million for the first six months of 2020. Fuel surcharge revenue increased to $28.8 million for the 2021 quarter from $18.3 million for the 2020 quarter, and increased to $53.7 million for the first six months of 2021 from $43.6 million for the first six months of 2020 due to significantly higher fuel prices.
Operating income improved 12.9% to a record $28.5 million for the second quarter of 2021 from $25.3 million for the second quarter of 2020. This year’s second quarter operating income was $3.0 million more than Marten’s previous record. Operating income improved 21.3% to $52.5 million for the first six months of 2021 from $43.3 million for the first six months of 2020.
Operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue improved to 87.7% for the second quarter of 2021 from 88.1% for the second quarter of 2020. Operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue, with both amounts net of fuel surcharges, improved to 86.0%, the best ratio for any quarter since Marten became a public company in 1986, from 87.0%.
Operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue improved to 88.5% for the first six months of 2021 from 90.0% for the first six months of 2020. Operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue, with both amounts net of fuel surcharges, improved to 86.9% from 88.8%.
Executive Chairman Randolph L. Marten said, “Our talented and disciplined people capitalized on the continuing tight freight market to drive our highest operating revenue and operating income for any quarter in our history, and our best operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges, for any quarter since we became a public company in 1986. Our 21.3% operating income improvement in this year’s first six months continues the consistent strong operating income growth we produced in 2020 of 21.9% and in 2019 of 8.7%, across periods that included some challenging operating environments.”
“We have been increasing and will continue to increase the compensation from our customers for our premium services within the constrained freight market largely caused by the unrelenting national shortage of qualified drivers. We are also heightening our emphasis on structurally improving our drivers’ jobs and work-life balance by collaborating with our customers.”
Marten Transport, with headquarters in Mondovi, Wis., is a multifaceted business offering a network of refrigerated and dry truck-based transportation capabilities across the Company’s five distinct business platforms - Truckload, Dedicated, Intermodal, Brokerage and MRTN de Mexico. Marten is one of the leading temperature-sensitive truckload carriers in the United States, specializing in transporting and distributing food, beverages and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment. The Company offers service in the United States, Canada and Mexico, concentrating on expedited movements for high-volume customers. Marten’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol MRTN.
This press release contains certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include a discussion of Marten’s prospects for future growth and by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Important factors known to the Company that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements are discussed in Part I, Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACTS: Tim Kohl, Chief Executive Officer and President, and Jim Hinnendael, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, of Marten Transport, Ltd., 715-926-4216.
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
| June 30, | December 31, | ||||||
| (In thousands, except share information) | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| (Unaudited) | |||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 80,672 | $ | 66,127 | |||
| Receivables: | |||||||
| Trade, net | 92,920 | 83,426 | |||||
| Other | 4,904 | 4,202 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses and other | 23,444 | 21,903 | |||||
| Total current assets | 201,940 | 175,658 | |||||
| Property and equipment: | |||||||
| Revenue equipment, buildings and land, office equipment and other | 947,071 | 930,123 | |||||
| Accumulated depreciation | (266,342 | ) | (275,950 | ) | |||
| Net property and equipment | 680,729 | 654,173 | |||||
| Other noncurrent assets | 1,694 | 1,805 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 884,363 | $ | 831,636 | |||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | |||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 39,279 | $ | 25,702 | |||
| Insurance and claims accruals | 41,438 | 39,595 | |||||
| Accrued and other current liabilities | 26,272 | 24,497 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 106,989 | 89,794 | |||||
| Deferred income taxes | 123,312 | 121,098 | |||||
| Noncurrent operating lease liabilities | 421 | 411 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 230,722 | 211,303 | |||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | |||||||
| Preferred stock, $.01 par value per share; 2,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | - | - | |||||
| Common stock, $.01 par value per share; 192,000,000 shares authorized; 82,880,930 shares at June 30, 2021, and 82,705,005 shares at December 31, 2020, issued and outstanding | 829 | 827 | |||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 85,578 | 85,070 | |||||
| Retained earnings | 567,234 | 534,436 | |||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 653,641 | 620,333 | |||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 884,363 | $ | 831,636 | |||
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
| Three Months | Six Months | ||||||||||||||
| Ended June 30, | Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
| (In thousands, except per share information) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
| Operating revenue | $ | 232,442 | $ | 212,384 | $ | 455,488 | $ | 431,030 | |||||||
| Operating expenses (income): | |||||||||||||||
| Salaries, wages and benefits | 75,296 | 73,476 | 148,294 | 146,237 | |||||||||||
| Purchased transportation | 45,003 | 36,165 | 85,768 | 76,610 | |||||||||||
| Fuel and fuel taxes | 32,007 | 20,868 | 60,944 | 49,165 | |||||||||||
| Supplies and maintenance | 11,167 | 11,833 | 22,182 | 24,061 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation | 25,540 | 25,972 | 51,227 | 51,399 | |||||||||||
| Operating taxes and licenses | 2,718 | 2,615 | 5,430 | 5,254 | |||||||||||
| Insurance and claims | 9,391 | 11,633 | 20,837 | 23,917 | |||||||||||
| Communications and utilities | 2,056 | 1,977 | 4,139 | 3,962 | |||||||||||
| Gain on disposition of revenue equipment | (5,339 | ) | (2,216 | ) | (7,323 | ) | (3,771 | ) | |||||||
| Other | 6,085 | 4,805 | 11,474 | 10,908 | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 203,924 | 187,128 | 402,972 | 387,742 | |||||||||||
| Operating income | 28,518 | 25,256 | 52,516 | 43,288 | |||||||||||
| Other | (9 | ) | (13 | ) | (19 | ) | (110 | ) | |||||||
| Income before income taxes | 28,527 | 25,269 | 52,535 | 43,398 | |||||||||||
| Income taxes expense | 7,109 | 7,135 | 13,111 | 11,546 | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 21,418 | $ | 18,134 | $ | 39,424 | $ | 31,852 | |||||||
| Basic earnings per common share | $ | 0.26 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.39 | |||||||
| Diluted earnings per common share | $ | 0.26 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.47 | $ | 0.38 | |||||||
| Dividends declared per common share | $ | 0.04 | $ | 0.027 | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.053 | |||||||
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Unaudited)
| Dollar | Percentage | ||||||||||||||
| Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Three Months | Three Months | Three Months | |||||||||||||
| Ended | Ended | Ended | |||||||||||||
| June 30, | June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2021 vs. 2020 | |||||||||||
| Operating revenue: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | $ | 83,633 | $ | 85,966 | $ | (2,333 | ) | (2.7 | )% | ||||||
| Truckload fuel surcharge revenue | 12,308 | 8,234 | 4,074 | 49.5 | |||||||||||
| Total Truckload revenue | 95,941 | 94,200 | 1,741 | 1.8 | |||||||||||
| Dedicated revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | 67,227 | 67,076 | 151 | 0.2 | |||||||||||
| Dedicated fuel surcharge revenue | 12,894 | 8,351 | 4,543 | 54.4 | |||||||||||
| Total Dedicated revenue | 80,121 | 75,427 | 4,694 | 6.2 | |||||||||||
| Intermodal revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | 22,031 | 18,542 | 3,489 | 18.8 | |||||||||||
| Intermodal fuel surcharge revenue | 3,561 | 1,759 | 1,802 | 102.4 | |||||||||||
| Total Intermodal revenue | 25,592 | 20,301 | 5,291 | 26.1 | |||||||||||
| Brokerage revenue | 30,788 | 22,456 | 8,332 | 37.1 | |||||||||||
| Total operating revenue | $ | 232,442 | $ | 212,384 | $ | 20,058 | 9.4 | % | |||||||
| Operating income: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload | $ | 13,197 | $ | 11,036 | $ | 2,161 | 19.6 | % | |||||||
| Dedicated | 10,617 | 11,452 | (835 | ) | (7.3 | ) | |||||||||
| Intermodal | 1,850 | 954 | 896 | 93.9 | |||||||||||
| Brokerage | 2,854 | 1,814 | 1,040 | 57.3 | |||||||||||
| Total operating income | $ | 28,518 | $ | 25,256 | $ | 3,262 | 12.9 | % | |||||||
| Operating ratio: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload | 86.2 | % | 88.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Dedicated | 86.7 | 84.8 | |||||||||||||
| Intermodal | 92.8 | 95.3 | |||||||||||||
| Brokerage | 90.7 | 91.9 | |||||||||||||
| Consolidated operating ratio | 87.7 | % | 88.1 | % | |||||||||||
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Unaudited)
| Dollar | Percentage | ||||||||||||||
| Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Six Months | Six Months | Six Months | |||||||||||||
| Ended | Ended | Ended | |||||||||||||
| June 30, | June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2021 vs. 2020 | |||||||||||
| Operating revenue: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | $ | 167,552 | $ | 169,823 | $ | (2,271 | ) | (1.3 | )% | ||||||
| Truckload fuel surcharge revenue | 23,304 | 19,509 | 3,795 | 19.5 | |||||||||||
| Total Truckload revenue | 190,856 | 189,332 | 1,524 | 0.8 | |||||||||||
| Dedicated revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | 134,129 | 131,235 | 2,894 | 2.2 | |||||||||||
| Dedicated fuel surcharge revenue | 24,229 | 19,229 | 5,000 | 26.0 | |||||||||||
| Total Dedicated revenue | 158,358 | 150,464 | 7,894 | 5.2 | |||||||||||
| Intermodal revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue | 41,477 | 39,136 | 2,341 | 6.0 | |||||||||||
| Intermodal fuel surcharge revenue | 6,119 | 4,845 | 1,274 | 26.3 | |||||||||||
| Total Intermodal revenue | 47,596 | 43,981 | 3,615 | 8.2 | |||||||||||
| Brokerage revenue | 58,678 | 47,253 | 11,425 | 24.2 | |||||||||||
| Total operating revenue | $ | 455,488 | $ | 431,030 | $ | 24,458 | 5.7 | % | |||||||
| Operating income: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload | $ | 24,612 | $ | 17,821 | $ | 6,791 | 38.1 | % | |||||||
| Dedicated | 19,553 | 19,985 | (432 | ) | (2.2 | ) | |||||||||
| Intermodal | 3,311 | 2,260 | 1,051 | 46.5 | |||||||||||
| Brokerage | 5,040 | 3,222 | 1,818 | 56.4 | |||||||||||
| Total operating income | $ | 52,516 | $ | 43,288 | $ | 9,228 | 21.3 | % | |||||||
| Operating ratio: | |||||||||||||||
| Truckload | 87.1 | % | 90.6 | % | |||||||||||
| Dedicated | 87.7 | 86.7 | |||||||||||||
| Intermodal | 93.0 | 94.9 | |||||||||||||
| Brokerage | 91.4 | 93.2 | |||||||||||||
| Consolidated operating ratio | 88.5 | % | 90.0 | % | |||||||||||
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
OPERATING STATISTICS
(Unaudited)
| Three Months | Six Months | ||||||||||||||
| Ended June 30, | Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Truckload Segment: | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue (in thousands) | $ | 95,941 | $ | 94,200 | $ | 190,856 | $ | 189,332 | |||||||
| Average revenue, net of fuel surcharges, per tractor per week(1) | $ | 4,146 | $ | 3,829 | $ | 4,101 | $ | 3,821 | |||||||
| Average tractors(1) | 1,552 | 1,727 | 1,580 | 1,710 | |||||||||||
| Average miles per trip | 513 | 557 | 524 | 558 | |||||||||||
| Non-revenue miles percentage(2) | 9.6 | % | 10.9 | % | 9.9 | % | 11.0 | % | |||||||
| Total miles (in thousands) | 37,285 | 42,833 | 75,568 | 83,872 | |||||||||||
| Dedicated Segment: | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue (in thousands) | $ | 80,121 | $ | 75,427 | $ | 158,358 | $ | 150,464 | |||||||
| Average revenue, net of fuel surcharges, per tractor per week(1) | $ | 3,268 | $ | 3,314 | $ | 3,241 | $ | 3,309 | |||||||
| Average tractors(1) | 1,582 | 1,557 | 1,601 | 1,525 | |||||||||||
| Average miles per trip | 323 | 307 | 315 | 306 | |||||||||||
| Non-revenue miles percentage(2) | 1.1 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.9 | % | 0.8 | % | |||||||
| Total miles (in thousands) | 32,255 | 33,174 | 64,254 | 64,710 | |||||||||||
| Intermodal Segment: | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue (in thousands) | $ | 25,592 | $ | 20,301 | $ | 47,596 | $ | 43,981 | |||||||
| Loads | 8,646 | 8,693 | 16,628 | 18,430 | |||||||||||
| Average tractors | 148 | 98 | 141 | 99 | |||||||||||
| Brokerage Segment: | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue (in thousands) | $ | 30,788 | $ | 22,456 | $ | 58,678 | $ | 47,253 | |||||||
| Loads | 14,341 | 15,280 | 28,916 | 31,388 | |||||||||||
| At June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020: | |||||||||||||||
| Total tractors(1) | 3,162 | 3,313 | |||||||||||||
| Average age of company tractors (in years) | 1.5 | 1.8 | |||||||||||||
| Total trailers | 5,299 | 5,364 | |||||||||||||
| Average age of company trailers (in years) | 3.2 | 2.7 | |||||||||||||
| Ratio of trailers to tractors(1) | 1.7 | 1.6 | |||||||||||||
| Three Months | Six Months | ||||||||||||||
| Ended June 30, | Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 39,795 | $ | 60,587 | $ | 83,365 | $ | 104,067 | |||||||
| Net cash (used for) investing activities | (44,021 | ) | (22,558 | ) | (61,438 | ) | (59,190 | ) | |||||||
| Net cash (used for) provided by financing activities | (3,685 | ) | 1,158 | (7,382 | ) | (1,015 | ) | ||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding: | |||||||||||||||
| Basic | 82,840 | 82,527 | 82,799 | 82,371 | |||||||||||
| Diluted | 83,397 | 83,133 | 83,384 | 83,018 | |||||||||||
| (1) | Includes tractors driven by both company-employed drivers and independent contractors. Independent contractors provided 118 and 124 tractors as of June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. |
| (2) | Represents the percentage of miles for which the company is not compensated. |
