Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) gapped down prior to trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $37.87, but opened at $34.40. Werner Enterprises shares last traded at $35.0660, with a volume of 144,720 shares.

The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $737.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 0.85% and a return on equity of 0.14%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.08 EPS.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Monday, January 5th were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 136.59%.

More Werner Enterprises News

Here are the key news stories impacting Werner Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management said dedicated revenue grew, supported by a larger fleet and customer retention; the FirstFleet buy is intended to accelerate sustainable dedicated growth. Werner Enterprises Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and industry commentators view the FirstFleet acquisition as a strategic move that could spark consolidation in dedicated trucking and create scale benefits if integration goes as planned. Will Werner’s $245M FirstFleet buy signal new era of dedicated trucking consolidation?
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price-target update raised the target (reported as a 12.69% increase), reflecting some bullish reassessment after the acquisition and operational commentary. Werner Enterprises (WERN) price target increased by 12.69% to 32.35
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and slide deck provide management detail on results, integration plans and near-term outlook — useful for investors assessing guidance and execution risk. Werner Enterprises, Inc. (WERN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presentation (Q4 results) lays out segment performance and integration rationale — important context but outcome depends on execution. Werner Enterprises, Inc. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: WERN missed both EPS and revenue estimates for Q4 (EPS $0.05 vs. $0.09; revenue short of consensus) and reported year-over-year revenue decline — a near-term negative for sentiment and valuation multiples. Werner Enterprises (WERN) Misses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and reporters warn the FirstFleet acquisition could pressure near-term earnings and will be an execution test for valuation — watch integration costs and accretion timing. Werner faces earnings test as FirstFleet deal reshapes strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing legal overhang: a long-running drivers’ lawsuit has a settlement ready to go, creating potential cash/legal exposure to monitor. Werner settlement ready to go in drivers’ lawsuit that dates to 2014

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WERN shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Werner Enterprises from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $32.36.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 289.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 42.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,542 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 5.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.78 and a 200-day moving average of $28.76.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America’s largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner’s core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.