MRTN (Marten Transport) Beneish M-Score: -2.90 (As of Jun. 25, 2026)


MRTN Marten Transport Ltd MRTN
70 GF Score
Price $16.84
GF Value $13.73
Valuation Modestly Overvalued
! 10 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Marten Transport Beneish M-Score?

Marten Transport MRTN -1.66% 70 Beneish M-Score is -2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus rates MRTN with a GF Score™ of 70/100 and a GF Value™ of $13.73 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 10 warning signs investors should review. Among 966 Transportation companies, Marten Transport ranks better than 78.78% on this metric.

The zones of discrimination for M-Score is as such:

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.
An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Good Sign:

Beneish M-Score -2.9 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

The historical rank and industry rank for Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:

MRTN' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.53   Med: -3.03   Max: -1.75
Current: -2.9

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Marten Transport was -1.75. The lowest was -3.53. And the median was -3.03.


Marten Transport Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Marten Transport Beneish M-Score Chart

Marten Transport Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.99 -2.95 -3.01 -3.02 -2.86

Marten Transport Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Beneish M-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.98 -3.04 -1.75 -2.86 -2.90

MRTN vs HTLD, CVLG, ULH: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Trucking subindustry, Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Beneish M-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Marten Transport Beneish M-Score vs Transportation Industry

For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score falls into.


MRTN
70GF Score
Marten Transport Ltd MRTN
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Marten Transport Beneish M-Score Calculation

The M-score was created by Professor Messod Beneish. Instead of measuring the bankruptcy risk (Altman Z-Score) or business trend (Piotroski F-Score), M-score can be used to detect the risk of earnings manipulation. This is the original research paper on M-score.

The M-Score Variables:

The M-score of Marten Transport for today is based on a combination of the following eight different indices:

M=-4.84+0.92 * DSRI+0.528 * GMI+0.404 * AQI+0.892 * SGI+0.115 * DEPI
=-4.84+0.92 * 1.0852+0.528 * 1.0671+0.404 * 0.9042+0.892 * 0.9219+0.115 * 0.9859
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.0902+4.679 * -0.094196-0.327 * 0.8909
=-2.90

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

This Year (Mar26) TTM:Last Year (Mar25) TTM:
Total Receivables was $100.0 Mil.
Revenue was 203.526 + 210.108 + 220.47 + 229.922 = $864.0 Mil.
Gross Profit was 23.898 + 27.893 + 24.656 + 32.725 = $109.2 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $195.6 Mil.
Total Assets was $947.2 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $750.1 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $102.9 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $64.1 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $94.3 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $0.2 Mil.
Net Income was 1.382 + 3.697 + 2.226 + 7.186 = $14.5 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 1.877 + 3.783 + 2.116 + 5.618 = $13.4 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 33.049 + 5.582 + 18.538 + 33.153 = $90.3 Mil.
Total Receivables was $100.0 Mil.
Revenue was 223.152 + 230.432 + 237.366 + 246.238 = $937.2 Mil.
Gross Profit was 30.596 + 33.341 + 29.425 + 32.997 = $126.4 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $162.5 Mil.
Total Assets was $983.3 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $819.1 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $110.6 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $63.8 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $109.6 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $0.4 Mil.




1. DSRI = Days Sales in Receivables Index

Measured as the ratio of Revenue in Total Receivables in year t to year t-1.

A large increase in DSR could be indicative of revenue inflation.

DSRI=(Receivables_t / Revenue_t) / (Receivables_t-1 / Revenue_t-1)
=(100.025 / 864.026) / (99.974 / 937.188)
=0.115766 / 0.106674
=1.0852

2. GMI = Gross Margin Index

Measured as the ratio of gross margin in year t-1 to gross margin in year t.

Gross margin has deteriorated when this index is above 1. A firm with poorer prospects is more likely to manipulate earnings.

GMI=GrossMargin_t-1 / GrossMargin_t
=(GrossProfit_t-1 / Revenue_t-1) / (GrossProfit_t / Revenue_t)
=(126.359 / 937.188) / (109.172 / 864.026)
=0.134828 / 0.126353
=1.0671

3. AQI = Asset Quality Index

AQI is the ratio of asset quality in year t to year t-1.

Asset quality is measured as the ratio of non-current assets other than Property, Plant and Equipment to Total Assets.

AQI=(1 - (CurrentAssets_t + PPE_t) / TotalAssets_t) / (1 - (CurrentAssets_t-1 + PPE_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=(1 - (195.603 + 750.078) / 947.227) / (1 - (162.5 + 819.057) / 983.332)
=0.001632 / 0.001805
=0.9042

4. SGI = Sales Growth Index

Ratio of Revenue in year t to sales in year t-1.

Sales growth is not itself a measure of manipulation. However, growth companies are likely to find themselves under pressure to manipulate in order to keep up appearances.

SGI=Sales_t / Sales_t-1
=Revenue_t / Revenue_t-1
=864.026 / 937.188
=0.9219

5. DEPI = Depreciation Index

Measured as the ratio of the rate of Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization in year t-1 to the corresponding rate in year t.

DEPI greater than 1 indicates that assets are being depreciated at a slower rate. This suggests that the firm might be revising useful asset life assumptions upwards, or adopting a new method that is income friendly.

DEPI=(Depreciation_t-1 / (Depreciaton_t-1 + PPE_t-1)) / (Depreciation_t / (Depreciaton_t + PPE_t))
=(110.596 / (110.596 + 819.057)) / (102.928 / (102.928 + 750.078))
=0.118965 / 0.120665
=0.9859

Note: If the Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization data is not available, we assume that the depreciation rate is constant and set the Depreciation Index to 1.

6. SGAI = Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index

The ratio of Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) to Sales in year t relative to year t-1.

SGA expenses index > 1 means that the company is becoming less efficient in generate sales.

SGAI=(SGA_t / Sales_t) / (SGA_t-1 /Sales_t-1)
=(64.092 / 864.026) / (63.766 / 937.188)
=0.074178 / 0.06804
=1.0902

7. LVGI = Leverage Index

The ratio of total debt to Total Assets in year t relative to yeat t-1.

An LVGI > 1 indicates an increase in leverage

LVGI=((LTD_t + CurrentLiabilities_t) / TotalAssets_t) / ((LTD_t-1 + CurrentLiabilities_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=((0.157 + 94.25) / 947.227) / ((0.385 + 109.623) / 983.332)
=0.099667 / 0.111873
=0.8909

8. TATA = Total Accruals to Total Assets

Total accruals calculated as the change in working capital accounts other than cash less depreciation.

TATA=(IncomefromContinuingOperations_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(NetIncome_t - NonOperatingIncome_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(14.491 - 13.394 - 90.322) / 947.227
=-0.094196

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator. An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Marten Transport has a M-score of -2.90 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Beneish M-Score →
What does a Beneish M-Score of -2.90 mean?
Marten Transport (MRTN) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Marten Transport and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Marten Transport ranks #205 out of 966 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 21.2%.
Is Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score too high?
Marten Transport's current Beneish M-Score is -2.90. Based on the distribution chart, Marten Transport ranks #205 out of 966 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Marten Transport has a GF Score™ of 70/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Marten Transport's Beneish M-Score compare to HTLD and CVLG?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Marten Transport ranks #205 out of 966 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places Marten Transport in the top 21% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Beneish M-Score for a Transportation company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Transportation industry context. However, Beneish M-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Beneish M-Score mean?
A high Beneish M-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Marten Transport and its competitors. Marten Transport's current Beneish M-Score is -2.90. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Marten Transport stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Marten Transport (MRTN) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $13.73, compared to a current price of $16.84 — trading 22.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.90. Marten Transport's overall GF Score™ is 70/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Beneish M-Score calculated?
Beneish M-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Marten Transport (MRTN), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Marten Transport (MRTN) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Marten Transport stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $16.84 is trading 22.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of $13.73. GuruFocus considers Marten Transport to be Modestly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for MRTN:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.90
  • GF Value™: $13.73 vs. price of $16.84 (22.7% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 70/100 with 10 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the MRTN stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Marten Transport Business Description

Address 129 Marten Street, Mondovi, WI, USA, 54755
Marten Transport Ltd is a temperature-sensitive and dry truckload carrier in the United States. The company specializes in transporting and distributing food and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment. The company operates through four segments: Truckload, Dedicated, Intermodal, and Brokerage, generating the majority of its revenue from the Truckload segment. The Truckload segment offers a mix of regional short-haul and medium- to long-haul full-load transportation services transporting food and other consumer packaged goods.
70GF Score

Get the complete analysis for MRTN

Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$16.84
Price
$13.73
GF Value