MRTN vs. KNX

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

MRTN (Marten Transport, Ltd.) and KNX (Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.) are both stocks. Both operate in the Trucking industry within the Industrials sector. Over the past 10 years, MRTN returned 10.15%/yr vs 12.36%/yr for KNX. At a 0.41 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

MRTN vs. KNX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MRTN achieves a 56.86% return, which is significantly higher than KNX's 50.78% return. Over the past 10 years, MRTN has underperformed KNX with an annualized return of 10.15%, while KNX has yielded a comparatively higher 12.36% annualized return.

MRTN

• 1D: 1.37%
• 1M: 20.98%
• YTD: 56.86%
• 6M: 60.34%
• 1Y: 37.88%
• 3Y*: -4.61%
• 5Y*: 3.15%
• 10Y*: 10.15%

KNX

• 1D: 0.38%
• 1M: 27.51%
• YTD: 50.78%
• 6M: 55.33%
• 1Y: 78.50%
• 3Y*: 13.75%
• 5Y*: 11.93%
• 10Y*: 12.36%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

MRTN vs. KNX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
MRTN Marten Transport, Ltd.	56.86%	-25.68%	-24.58%	7.31%	16.73%	3.89%	24.77%	33.56%	-19.87%	45.87%
KNX Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.	50.78%	0.09%	-6.86%	11.11%	-13.20%	46.82%	17.64%	44.01%	-42.30%	33.16%

Correlation

The correlation between MRTN and KNX is 0.71, which is moderate. They share some common price drivers but move independently often enough to provide real diversification benefit when combined.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.71
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.69
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.68
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.65
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Oct 26, 1994	0.41

Over the past year, MRTN and KNX have become more correlated (0.71) than their long-term average of 0.41, meaning their price movements have been converging.

Fundamentals

EPS MRTN : $0.24 KNX : $0.21
PE Ratio MRTN : 74.93 KNX : 376.33
PS Ratio MRTN : 1.26 KNX : 1.71
Total Revenue (TTM) MRTN : $864.03M KNX : $7.50B
Gross Profit (TTM) MRTN : $117.83M KNX : $2.29B
EBITDA (TTM) MRTN : $89.95M KNX : $912.37M

Return for Risk

MRTN vs. KNX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

MRTN

MRTN Risk / Return Rank: 69
MRTN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 75
MRTN Sortino Ratio Rank: 70
MRTN Omega Ratio Rank: 69
MRTN Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
MRTN Martin Ratio Rank: 64

KNX

KNX Risk / Return Rank: 87
KNX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
KNX Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
KNX Omega Ratio Rank: 83
KNX Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
KNX Martin Ratio Rank: 87

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

MRTN vs. KNX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	MRTN	KNX	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	1.14	2.02	-0.88
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	1.74	2.82	-1.08
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.22	1.34	-0.12
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.19	4.17	-2.98
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	2.61	9.98	-7.37
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MRTN vs. KNX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MRTN Sharpe Ratio is 1.14, which is lower than the KNX Sharpe Ratio of 2.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MRTN and KNX, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	MRTN	KNX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.14	2.02	-0.88
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.10	0.36	-0.26
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.31	0.37	-0.06
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.26	0.28	-0.02

Drawdowns

MRTN vs. KNX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MRTN drawdown since its inception was -57.89%, smaller than the maximum KNX drawdown of -67.93%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MRTN and KNX.

Drawdown Indicators

	MRTN	KNX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-57.89%	-67.93%	+10.04%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-32.00%	-18.91%	-13.09%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-57.89%	-35.85%	-22.04%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-57.89%	-38.04%	-19.85%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-57.89%	-51.57%	-6.32%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-19.70%	0.00%	-19.70%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-17.54%	-16.27%	-1.27%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	14.55%	7.89%	+6.66%

Volatility

MRTN vs. KNX - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) is 7.78%, while Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX) has a volatility of 15.60%. This indicates that MRTN experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than KNX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MRTN	KNX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.78%	15.60%	-7.82%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	24.37%	28.23%	-3.86%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	33.25%	39.07%	-5.82%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	30.40%	33.34%	-2.94%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	33.02%	33.89%	-0.87%

Dividends

MRTN vs. KNX - Dividend Comparison

MRTN's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.35%, more than KNX's 0.94% yield.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
KNX Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.	0.94%	1.38%	1.21%	0.97%	0.92%	0.62%	0.77%	0.67%	0.96%	0.55%	0.73%	0.99%
MRTN Marten Transport, Ltd.	1.35%	2.11%	1.54%	1.14%	1.21%	3.85%	3.68%	0.56%	0.62%	0.39%	0.43%	0.56%

Financials

MRTN vs. KNX - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Marten Transport, Ltd. and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

MRTN - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Marten Transport, Ltd. reported a gross profit of 97.94M and revenue of 203.53M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 48.1%.

KNX - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. reported a gross profit of 611.56M and revenue of 1.85B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 33.1%.

MRTN - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Marten Transport, Ltd. reported an operating income of 1.59M and revenue of 203.53M, resulting in an operating margin of 0.8%.

KNX - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. reported an operating income of 28.58M and revenue of 1.85B, resulting in an operating margin of 1.5%.

MRTN - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Marten Transport, Ltd. reported a net income of 1.38M and revenue of 203.53M, resulting in a net margin of 0.7%.

KNX - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. reported a net income of -1.32M and revenue of 1.85B, resulting in a net margin of -0.1%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both MRTN and KNX in my portfolio?

MRTN and KNX have a correlation of 0.71, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, MRTN or KNX?

KNX has higher volatility (15.60%) compared to MRTN (7.78%). In terms of maximum drawdown, MRTN dropped -57.89% vs KNX's -67.93%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

KNX currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (2.02 vs 1.14), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.