Wall Street RegretsThe regret calculator.

What if you'd held MRTN?

A $1,000 investment in Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) at the month-end close of 1986-09 would be worth $27,161 at the close of 2026-08 — +2616.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $33,322.

$1,000 since 1986$27,161Total return+2616.1%Multiple27.2×CAGR+8.6%

Your scenario

Dates resolve to the nearest month-end close.
Leave empty for "held until today".
Invested at each month-end. Starts on the buy date.

Result

Worth$27,161Gain+$26,161 (+2616.1%)Multiple27.2×CAGR+8.6%

    If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year

    Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.

    2000$19,0132001$20,4832002$13,8212003$12,9182004$7,0382005$4,7842006$3,9792007$3,8932008$5,1962009$3,8232010$4,0392011$3,3842012$4,0062013$3,7422014$2,2612015$2,0782016$2,5542017$1,9312018$1,3242019$1,6522020$1,1962021$9592022$9232023$7902024$7372025$9772026$1,314

    Every year, $1,000 from 1986

    YearValue of $1,000Year return
    1986$1,000
    1987$372-62.8%
    1988$358-3.8%
    1989$243-32.0%
    1990$257+5.8%
    1991$386+50.0%
    1992$628+62.6%
    1993$1,072+70.7%
    1994$1,143+6.6%
    1995$943-17.5%
    1996$786-16.6%
    1997$1,264+60.8%
    1998$1,136-10.2%
    1999$1,103-2.9%
    2000$1,024-7.2%
    2001$1,518+48.2%
    2002$1,624+7.0%
    2003$2,980+83.5%
    2004$4,385+47.1%
    2005$5,272+20.2%
    2006$5,388+2.2%
    2007$4,037-25.1%
    2008$5,487+35.9%
    2009$5,194-5.3%
    2010$6,198+19.3%
    2011$5,236-15.5%
    2012$5,605+7.1%
    2013$9,279+65.5%
    2014$10,093+8.8%
    2015$8,214-18.6%
    2016$10,864+32.3%
    2017$15,847+45.9%
    2018$12,699-19.9%
    2019$17,537+38.1%
    2020$21,883+24.8%
    2021$22,733+3.9%
    2022$26,536+16.7%
    2023$28,475+7.3%
    2024$21,477-24.6%
    2025$15,960-25.7%
    2026$20,976+31.4%

    Best and worst month-end to buy

    The best single month-end close to have bought MRTN was 1990-02 ($0.14): $1,000 then is $105,177 today. The worst was 2023-07 ($21.61): $1,000 then is $686.

    FAQ

    What would $1,000 in MRTN be worth today?

    A $1,000 investment in Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) at the start of 1986 would be worth about $27,161 today, a total return of +2616.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.

    What were the best and worst years for MRTN?

    Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN)'s strongest calendar year since 1986 was 2003, a +83.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,835 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1987, at -62.8%.

    Does the calculator include dividends and splits?

    Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.

    How much would $100 per month in MRTN have grown?

    Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1986-09 would have grown to about $756,878 on $48,000 invested.

    Did MRTN beat the S&P 500?

    Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $33,322. MRTN trailed the S&P 500 by +18.5% in total return.

    Is this investment advice?

    No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.

    Methodology

    Marten Transport, Ltd. (MRTN) historical total-return data from 1986-09 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.

    Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.

    Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.

    Full methodology →

    What if you'd held…

    Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.