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

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.1538.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $25.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore lifted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of WERN opened at $32.36 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.89 and its 200 day moving average is $29.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of -134.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.09. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.02 and a 12-month high of $38.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $737.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 0.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.08 EPS. Research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is presently -233.33%.

Insider Transactions at Werner Enterprises

In other Werner Enterprises news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,418 shares of Werner Enterprises stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $49,318.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 55,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,945,801.88. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 30,464 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,717,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 64,228 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 57,285 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

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.