Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.54.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WERN shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Susquehanna raised Werner Enterprises from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and cut their price target for the company from $48.00 to $44.00 in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ WERN opened at $33.98 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $37.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.71 and a beta of 1.27. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $813.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.12 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 5th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is presently -73.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,119,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 284,197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,358,000 after buying an additional 65,534 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,421,000. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,860,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 293.8% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 64,309 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after acquiring an additional 47,977 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

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 the United States, as well as in Mexico and Canada.

The company’s operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and logistics services. Its truckload business transports consumer and industrial goods using a network of company trucks and independent carriers, while its dedicated operations provide customized fleets and drivers for customers with recurring freight needs.