MONDOVI, Wis., Oct. 20, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marten Transport, Ltd. (Nasdaq:MRTN) announced today its financial and operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2008.
Operating revenue, consisting of revenue from truckload and logistics operations, increased 12.7% to $163.4 million in the third quarter of 2008 from $145.0 million in the 2007 quarter. For the nine-month period of 2008, operating revenue increased 12.4% to $466.7 million from $415.2 million for the 2007 period. Truckload revenue increased 9.2% to $137.0 million from $125.5 million in the 2007 quarter. For the nine-month period of 2008, truckload revenue increased 6.8% to $392.2 million from $367.4 million for the 2007 period. Logistics revenue, which consists of revenue from brokerage and intermodal operations, increased 35.2% to $26.3 million from $19.5 million in the 2007 quarter. For the nine-month period of 2008, logistics revenue increased 55.7% to $74.5 million from $47.9 million for the 2007 period.
Operating revenue included fuel surcharges of $41.3 million and $109.4 million for the third quarter and nine-month period of 2008, compared with $22.6 million and $61.1 million for the third quarter and nine-month period of 2007. Operating revenue, net of fuel surcharges, decreased 0.3% to $122.1 million in the 2008 quarter and increased 0.9% to $357.3 million in the 2008 nine-month period.
For the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, net income was $6.1 million, or 28 cents per diluted share, compared with $3.1 million, or 14 cents per diluted share, for the same quarter of 2007. For the nine-month period of 2008, net income was $12.2 million, or 56 cents per diluted share, compared with $12.0 million, or 55 cents per diluted share, for the 2007 period.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Randolph L. Marten said, "In the third quarter we were able to demonstrate the strength of our business model and our team's ability to execute in a difficult freight environment. Our major investments in developing regional operations to help optimize our customers' supply chains, growing intermodal capacity to gain efficiency, using our logistics operation to cover additional freight while satisfying customers' needs, and installing auxiliary power units to save fuel and reduce emissions all paid off. We picked up a boost from diesel fuel prices that decreased during the quarter, but even without that benefit our results would have improved compared with the third quarter of 2007 or with the second quarter of 2008.
"We continued our strategy of constraining the size of our asset-based truckload fleet and growing our asset-light logistics and intermodal operations in the quarter. Within our truckload operations, our employees efficiently adapted to the market conditions and focused on providing superior customer service to ensure our fleet was kept loaded with the most profitable freight available to us. This strategy, along with the growth of our regional operations, contributed to a 4.9 cents per total mile increase in average truckload revenue, net of fuel surcharges, to $1.531 in the third quarter of 2008 from $1.482 in the third quarter of the prior year. As a result of these initiatives, our average truckload revenue per tractor per week, net of fuel surcharges, improved by 2.8% to $3,231 in the 2008 quarter from $3,142 in the 2007 quarter. We achieved this improvement despite reducing our average miles per trip by 7.2% as a result of intentionally reducing our length of haul in certain lanes and seeing an increase in our non-revenue miles percentage.
"Our truckload operations continue to evolve as we search for expanded and more efficient ways to serve our customers. To that end, we opened a new regional facility in Dallas, Texas earlier this year and have also recently opened another regional facility in Richmond, Virginia along with a facility in Laredo, Texas to service our customers' freight needs in the Golden Triangle area of Mexico, where about 65% of Mexico's population resides. Expanding our regional capability affords us additional flexibility in allocating loads more efficiently between truck and rail intermodal service. Also, the additional locations enable us to open up new business opportunities with existing and prospective customers who would have otherwise used another carrier. We're excited to bring Marten's award-winning service to both existing and prospective customers in these locales.
"Our logistics operations continued to expand at a rapid pace. Logistics revenue, net of intermodal fuel surcharges, grew to $23.5 million in the third quarter, an increase of 26.3% over the 2007 quarter. Logistics revenue consists of revenue from our internal brokerage and intermodal operations and from revenue associated with our 45% interest in MW Logistics, LLC, a third-party provider of logistics services. Consistent with the growth of our logistics business, purchased transportation expense increased 4.4% in the 2008 quarter compared with the 2007 quarter after taking into account a 36.8% decrease in the number of miles driven by independent contractors.
"Our net fuel expense, after fuel surcharges, improved significantly compared with the third quarter of 2007, despite much higher average diesel fuel prices. Our average cost per gallon was $4.01, compared with $2.83 in the third quarter of 2007. Over the past year, we have worked diligently to control fuel costs and usage by improving our volume purchasing arrangements with national fuel centers, focusing on shorter lengths of haul, managing the miles for which we do not receive fuel surcharges, and installing and tightly managing the use of auxiliary power units in 94% of our tractors to minimize engine idling. Fuel expense was also affected by a decrease in company truck miles and declining fuel prices throughout the quarter. As a result of these factors, our net fuel expense (fuel and fuel taxes net of fuel surcharge revenue and surcharges passed through to independent contractors, outside drayage carriers and railroads) improved by nearly $5.7 million compared with the third quarter of 2007. Moreover, we receive fuel surcharges on a delayed basis, which caused our third quarter results to benefit disproportionately from the decline in fuel prices. Accordingly, assuming no further declines in the cost of fuel in the fourth quarter, we would expect our net cost of fuel as a percentage of revenue to be higher in the fourth quarter than it was in the third quarter.
"Gain on disposition of revenue equipment remained flat as compared to the third quarter of 2007. We do not expect our gain on disposition to improve in the near future as we believe that there are few buyers with adequate financing in comparison with available inventory, and the expectation of additional trucking company failures this winter is likely to keep used truck inventories high.
"Our operating ratio (operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue) was 93.6% for the third quarter of 2008 compared with 96.1% for the third quarter of 2007.
"At September 30, 2008, our balance sheet reflected approximately $249.8 million in stockholders' equity and $7.3 million in debt, for a debt-to-capitalization ratio of approximately 2.9%. In the third quarter of 2008, we retired approximately $10.9 million in debt. With anticipated net capital expenditures of approximately $20 million for the remainder of 2008, we expect to finish the year with a well-maintained fleet and a very strong balance sheet."
Looking forward at the balance of 2008, Mr. Marten offered the following comments: "For the fourth quarter of 2008, we expect freight demand to continue to decline as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007. The start of October has been relatively soft and, due to economic conditions, we do not expect our customers in the consumer retail business to build or refresh their inventories to historical fourth-quarter levels. Furthermore, we believe that the recent improvements in fuel prices have negatively impacted the capacity situation, as some weak carriers avoided failing or were encouraged to bring on capacity that had been idled. With those expectations in mind, our strategy is to continue to protect our truckload rate structure by providing superior customer service, to appropriately size our fleet to existing demand, to expand our logistics, intermodal, and regional operations and to aggressively control our costs and explore new business opportunities.
"In addition to our operating results, we are also pleased to be named to Forbes Magazine's list of the 200 Best Small Companies in America for the third time in the last four years. The list appears in the October 27, 2008 issue."
Marten Transport, with headquarters in Mondovi, Wis., is one of the leading temperature-sensitive truckload carriers in the United States. Marten specializes in transporting food and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-sensitive or insulated environment. Marten offers nationwide service, 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. Such statements may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as "expects," "estimates," "projects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," and similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. In this release, forward-looking statements involve, among other things, our expectations concerning our position in the industry and ability to grow and improve in our markets, freight demand, industry-wide capacity of tractors and trailers, net capital expenditures, the condition of our fleet, the strength of our balance sheet, and improvements in operating results. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: the risk that our perception of the cyclicality of the markets we primarily serve is incorrect or there are recessionary economic cycles and downturns in customers' business cycles; increases in the prices paid for new revenue equipment and changes in the resale value of our used equipment causing our gain on disposition to fluctuate; excess tractor or trailer capacity in the trucking industry; decreased demand for our services or loss of one or more of our major customers; our ability to maintain profitability in or continue to grow our logistics business; our ability to successfully enter new markets in Dallas, Texas, Richmond, Virginia, Laredo, Texas, and Mexico, surplus inventories; recessionary economic cycles and downturns in customers' business cycles; strikes, work slow downs, or work stoppages at the company, customers, ports, or other shipping related facilities; increases or rapid fluctuations in fuel prices as well as fluctuations in surcharge collection, including, but not limited to, changes in customer fuel surcharge policies and increases in fuel surcharge bases by customers; the volume and terms of diesel purchase commitments; interest rates, fuel taxes, tolls, and license and registration fees; increased indebtedness, and associated interest expense, arising from upgrading our fleet of equipment; shortages in supply of new equipment from manufacturers; changes in management's estimates of the need for new tractors and trailers; increases in compensation for and difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified drivers and independent contractors; elevated experience in the frequency and severity of claims relating to accident, cargo, workers' compensation, health, and other claims; changes in management's estimates of liability based upon such experience and development factors; increases in insurance premiums and deductible amounts; seasonal factors such as harsh weather conditions that increase operating costs; decreases in productivity that may offset or eliminate potential savings from the installation of auxiliary power units, unexpected maintenance or other costs associated with such units, or our inability to continue to maintain idle time at the recent level; competition from trucking, rail, and intermodal competitors; and regulatory requirements that increase costs or decrease efficiency, including new emissions standards for engines, the adoption of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and revised hours-of-service requirements for drivers, or changes in tax treatment with respect to our per diem program. Readers should review and consider these factors along with the various disclosures by the Company in its press releases, stockholder reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not assume, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting the forward-looking information.
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
September 30, December 31,
(In thousands, except share information) 2008 2007
----------------------
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash $ 2,411 $ 3,618
Marketable securities 65 350
Receivables:
Trade, net 63,193 51,539
Other 6,983 6,175
Prepaid expenses and other 11,719 13,823
Deferred income taxes 6,663 4,653
----------------------
Total current assets 91,034 80,158
----------------------
Property and equipment:
Revenue equipment, buildings and
land, office equipment and other 441,375 447,430
Accumulated depreciation (133,206) (122,246)
----------------------
Net property and equipment 308,169 325,184
Other assets 833 2,048
----------------------
TOTAL ASSETS $ 400,036 $ 407,390
======================
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Checks issued in excess of cash
balances $ 1,293 $ --
Accounts payable and accrued
liabilities 40,829 32,384
Insurance and claims accruals 20,938 17,431
Current maturities of long-term debt 5,000 5,000
----------------------
Total current liabilities 68,060 54,815
Long-term debt, less current maturities 2,342 39,643
Deferred income taxes 78,160 74,719
----------------------
Total liabilities 148,562 169,177
----------------------
Minority interest 1,702 1,283
----------------------
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; 48,000,000 shares authorized;
21,830,071 shares at September
30, 2008, and 21,811,837 shares at
December 31, 2007, issued and
outstanding 218 218
Additional paid-in capital 75,163 74,570
Retained earnings 174,391 162,142
----------------------
Total stockholders' equity 249,772 236,930
----------------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 400,036 $ 407,390
======================
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
Three Months Nine Months
Ended September 30, Ended September 30,
---------------------------------------------
(In thousands, except
per share information) 2008 2007 2008 2007
---------------------------------------------
OPERATING REVENUE $ 163,377 $ 144,969 $ 466,745 $ 415,206
---------------------------------------------
OPERATING EXPENSES
(INCOME):
Salaries, wages and
benefits 39,885 38,808 114,322 115,786
Purchased
transportation 29,125 27,891 88,414 74,390
Fuel and fuel taxes 51,215 39,586 144,929 109,524
Supplies and
maintenance 9,588 10,448 28,298 28,364
Depreciation 12,396 11,867 36,704 35,317
Operating taxes and
licenses 1,588 1,736 5,062 5,161
Insurance and claims 5,770 5,946 17,988 16,792
Communications and
utilities 837 938 2,707 2,848
Gain on disposition
of revenue equipment (453) (435) (2,439) (2,883)
Other 2,898 2,488 8,322 7,780
---------------------------------------------
Total operating
expenses 152,849 139,273 444,307 393,079
---------------------------------------------
OPERATING INCOME 10,528 5,696 22,438 22,127
---------------------------------------------
OTHER EXPENSES
(INCOME):
Interest expense 196 943 1,032 3,064
Interest income and
other (38) (186) (152) (531)
Minority interest 317 301 922 530
---------------------------------------------
475 1,058 1,802 3,063
---------------------------------------------
INCOME BEFORE INCOME
TAXES 10,053 4,638 20,636 19,064
PROVISION FOR INCOME
TAXES 3,926 1,573 8,387 7,061
---------------------------------------------
NET INCOME $ 6,127 $ 3,065 $ 12,249 $ 12,003
=============================================
BASIC EARNINGS PER
COMMON SHARE $ 0.28 $ 0.14 $ 0.56 $ 0.55
=============================================
DILUTED EARNINGS PER
COMMON SHARE $ 0.28 $ 0.14 $ 0.56 $ 0.55
=============================================
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Unaudited)
Dollar Percentage
Change Change
Three Months Three Months Three Months
Ended Ended Ended
September 30, September 30, September 30,
---------------------- 2008 vs. 2008 vs.
(Dollars in thousands) 2008 2007 2007 2007
---------------------------------------------
Operating revenue:
Truckload revenue,
net of fuel
surcharge revenue $ 98,600 $103,831 $ (5,231) (5.0)%
Truckload fuel
surcharge revenue 38,442 21,666 16,776 77.4
---------------------------------------------
Total Truckload
revenue 137,042 125,497 11,545 9.2
---------------------------------------------
Logistics revenue,
net of intermodal
fuel surcharge
revenue 23,472 18,580 4,892 26.3
Intermodal fuel
surcharge revenue 2,863 892 1,971 221.0
---------------------------------------------
Total Logistics
revenue 26,335 19,472 6,863 35.2
---------------------------------------------
Total operating
revenue $163,377 $144,969 $ 18,408 12.7%
=============================================
Operating income:
Truckload $ 8,619 $ 4,108 $ 4,511 109.8%
Logistics 1,909 1,588 321 20.2
---------------------------------------------
Total operating
income $ 10,528 $ 5,696 $ 4,832 84.8%
=============================================
Operating ratio:
Truckload 93.7% 96.7% 3.1%
Logistics 92.8 91.8 (1.1)
---------------------- ---------
Consolidated
operating ratio 93.6% 96.1% 2.6%
====================== =========
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Unaudited)
Dollar Percentage
Change Change
Nine Nine
Nine Months Months Months
Ended Ended Ended
September 30, Sept. 30, Sept. 30,
---------------------- 2008 vs. 2008 vs.
(Dollars in thousands) 2008 2007 2007 2007
---------------------------------------------
Operating revenue:
Truckload revenue, net
of fuel surcharge
revenue $ 289,737 $ 308,462 $ (18,725) (6.1)%
Truckload fuel
surcharge revenue 102,508 58,893 43,615 74.1
---------------------------------------------
Total Truckload
revenue 392,245 367,355 24,890 6.8
---------------------------------------------
Logistics revenue, net
of intermodal fuel
surcharge revenue 67,583 45,680 21,903 47.9
Intermodal fuel
surcharge revenue 6,917 2,171 4,746 218.6
---------------------------------------------
Total Logistics
revenue 74,500 47,851 26,649 55.7
---------------------------------------------
Total operating
revenue $ 466,745 $ 415,206 $ 51,539 12.4 %
=============================================
Operating income:
Truckload $ 16,980 $ 18,520 $ (1,540) (8.3)%
Logistics 5,458 3,607 1,851 51.3
---------------------------------------------
Total operating
income $ 22,438 $ 22,127 $ 311 1.4 %
=============================================
Operating ratio:
Truckload 95.7% 95.0% (0.7)%
Logistics 92.7 92.5 (0.2)
----------------------- ---------
Consolidated
operating ratio 95.2% 94.7% (0.5)%
======================= =========
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.
OPERATING STATISTICS
(Unaudited)
Three Months Nine Months
Ended September 30, Ended September 30,
----------------------------------------
2008 2007 2008 2007
----------------------------------------
Truckload Segment:
Average truckload revenue,
net of fuel surcharges,
per total mile $ 1.531 $ 1.482 $ 1.502 $ 1.477
Average miles per
tractor(1) 27,736 27,874 81,977 81,956
Average truckload revenue,
net of fuel surcharges, per
tractor per week(1) $ 3,231 $ 3,142 $ 3,146 $ 3,103
Average tractors(1) 2,322 2,514 2,353 2,549
Average miles per trip 835 900 863 917
Non-revenue miles
percentage(2) 8.0% 7.4% 8.0% 7.6%
Total miles - company-
employed drivers (in
thousands) 56,897 58,188 166,794 173,717
Total miles - independent
contractors (in thousands) 7,510 11,891 26,058 35,188
Logistics Segment:
Brokerage:
Revenue (in thousands) $15,902 $13,887 $ 47,613 $ 33,312
Loads 7,485 7,253 23,076 17,658
Intermodal:
Revenue (in thousands) $10,433 $ 5,585 $ 26,887 $ 14,539
Loads 3,237 1,848 8,163 4,762
Average tractors 61 34 51 28
At September 30, 2008, and
September 30, 2007:
Total tractors(1) 2,377 2,532
Average age of company
tractors (in years) 2.2 1.9
Total trailers 4,249 3,986
Average age of company
trailers (in years) 2.9 2.5
Ratio of trailers to
tractors(1) 1.8 1.6
Ratio of tractors to
non-driver personnel(1) 4.7 5.1
Three Months Nine Months
Ended September 30, Ended September 30,
----------------------------------------
(In thousands) 2008 2007 2008 2007
----------------------------------------
Net cash provided by
operating activities $28,013 $14,907 $ 49,731 $ 44,401
Net cash used for
investing activities 17,678 9,888 14,908 42,235
Weighted average shares
outstanding:
Basic 21,798 21,812 21,773 21,789
Diluted 21,952 21,968 21,926 21,963
(1) Includes tractors driven by both company-employed drivers and
independent contractors. Independent contractors provided 209 and
358 tractors as of September 30, 2008, and 2007, respectively.
(2) Represents the percentage of miles for which the company is not
compensated.