Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Price Target Raised to $34.00

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price target lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on WERN. Zacks Research downgraded Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Evercore raised Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.14.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WERN opened at $27.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.38 and a beta of 1.29. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $47.49. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16. The firm had revenue of $825.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $956.55 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.56% and a positive return on equity of 2.03%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.03) EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -73.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 56.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 860 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 9,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,812 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 185.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 40.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,266 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management said accelerated trucking-capacity reductions could support a multi-year freight upcycle. Werner also indicated that margins may rebound as cost pressures ease, offering a potential catalyst if industry pricing improves. Werner’s Leathers expects accelerated capacity reductions Werner Enterprises Signals Margin Rebound Amid Cost Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects upside for Werner’s shares, providing a more constructive view amid the generally cautious analyst reaction. JPMorgan analyst expects Werner stock to rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers was elected chairman of the American Trucking Associations for a one-year term. The appointment raises Werner’s industry profile but is not expected to have an immediate financial effect. Derek Leathers elected ATA chairman
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were mixed: adjusted EPS of $0.16 matched expectations, but revenue of approximately $825.3 million fell well short of the roughly $956.6 million consensus estimate. The revenue miss, combined with weak profitability, is the primary reason investors remain cautious. How Should Investors Approach Werner Stock Post Q3 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets, including Stifel, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Barclays. Barclays cut its target to $32 and maintained an equal-weight rating, while Citigroup set a $32 neutral target. Zacks Research also downgraded WERN from hold to strong sell, intensifying selling pressure. Stifel lowers Werner expectations Citigroup cuts Werner target Wells Fargo lowers Werner expectations Morgan Stanley lowers Werner expectations Zacks downgrades Werner

About Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner, the company provides freight transportation and supply chain services to customers across North America.

The company’s operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and regional truckload services. Werner also provides logistics services, including freight brokerage, intermodal transportation, cross-border transportation, and supply chain management solutions.