Is MRTN or HTLD the better stock?

"Better" depends on your goal, and these two are not alike. MRTN is the larger company by market cap ($1.22B vs $993M). HTLD has been more active on our scanner (18 vs 13 alerts in 30 days). MRTN has the smaller float (63.2M vs 77.3M), which tends to mean sharper, more volatile moves. Those are the measured differences, not a recommendation, and nothing here is investment advice.

What is the difference between MRTN and HTLD?

The differences that matter: they are similar in size ($1.22B vs $993M); they trade at very different share prices ($14.94 vs $12.84); MRTN sits at 61% of its 52-week range against 61% for HTLD; our scanner flagged MRTN 13 times in the last 30 days against 18 for HTLD. Everything above is measured from the latest completed session and SEC filings.

Which of MRTN and HTLD is more active right now?

Right now MRTN is at about 0.4x its normal volume and HTLD is at about 0.8x, so HTLD is the one drawing unusual attention today. Relative volume (RVOL) compares a stock's volume to its own recent average, so it reads the same way for a megacap and a microcap and is the quickest way to tell which of two similar names is actually in play.

Is this comparison data live?

Prices and % changes are anchored to the latest completed session and split-adjusted, so a reverse split never shows as a fake move. Float is estimated from SEC filings and refreshed as new filings publish.

Compare

MRTN vs HTLD

TheDesperateTrader.com· Side-by-side stock comparison

$MRTN vs $HTLD head to head: price, market cap, valuation, dividend, free float, relative volume and how actively each trades. The bigger value in the size rows is bolded. Tap either ticker for its live chart, full ownership breakdown and real-time alerts.

$MRTNMarten Transport Ltd

$HTLDHeartland Express Inc

$14.94

Price

$12.84

+0.1%

Day change

+0.0%

$1.22B

Market cap

$993M

14.5

P/E ratio

40.13

1.61%

Dividend yield

0.62%

63.2M

Free float

77.3M

81.20%

Institutional

53.96%

658K

Avg volume

747K

0.4x

Rel. volume

0.8x

61% of 52w

52-week range

61% of 52w

Scanner alerts 30d

TRUCKING (NO LOCAL)

Sector

TRUCKING (NO LOCAL)

MRTN vs HTLD: the quick read

·MRTN is the larger company by market cap ($1.22B vs $993M).
·HTLD has been more active on our scanner (18 vs 13 alerts in 30 days).
·MRTN has the smaller float (63.2M vs 77.3M), which tends to mean sharper, more volatile moves.
·MRTN trades at the lower P/E (14.5 vs 40.1).
·Both are trucking (no local) names, so this is a like-for-like comparison and sector news tends to move them together.
·Both stay busy on our scanner, 18 and 13 unusual-volume alerts over 30 days, so neither is the quiet one here.
·They are closely matched in size, within 23% of each other on market cap, which makes the rest of this table the interesting part.
·Both pay a dividend, so this is one of the few pairs here where yield is a fair tiebreaker.

Objective differences only. Not investment advice.

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know comparing MRTN and HTLD on TheDesperateTrader.

Is MRTN or HTLD the better stock?: "Better" depends on your goal, and these two are not alike. MRTN is the larger company by market cap ($1.22B vs $993M). HTLD has been more active on our scanner (18 vs 13 alerts in 30 days). MRTN has the smaller float (63.2M vs 77.3M), which tends to mean sharper, more volatile moves. Those are the measured differences, not a recommendation, and nothing here is investment advice.
What is the difference between MRTN and HTLD?: The differences that matter: they are similar in size ($1.22B vs $993M); they trade at very different share prices ($14.94 vs $12.84); MRTN sits at 61% of its 52-week range against 61% for HTLD; our scanner flagged MRTN 13 times in the last 30 days against 18 for HTLD. Everything above is measured from the latest completed session and SEC filings.
Which of MRTN and HTLD is more active right now?: Right now MRTN is at about 0.4x its normal volume and HTLD is at about 0.8x, so HTLD is the one drawing unusual attention today. Relative volume (RVOL) compares a stock's volume to its own recent average, so it reads the same way for a megacap and a microcap and is the quickest way to tell which of two similar names is actually in play.
Is this comparison data live?: Prices and % changes are anchored to the latest completed session and split-adjusted, so a reverse split never shows as a fake move. Float is estimated from SEC filings and refreshed as new filings publish.

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