Potential Marten Transport, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Jerry Bauer, recently bought US$258k worth of stock, paying US$12.88 for each share. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 13%.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Marten Transport

In fact, the recent purchase by Jerry Bauer was the biggest purchase of Marten Transport shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$12.84 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Jerry Bauer.

Jerry Bauer purchased 30.00k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$13.86. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

View our latest analysis for Marten Transport

Marten Transport is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Marten Transport Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Marten Transport insiders own about US$307m worth of shares (which is 29% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Marten Transport Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Marten Transport. Nice! While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Marten Transport (including 1 which shouldn't be ignored).

But note: Marten Transport may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.