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

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $39.9231.

Several equities research analysts have commented on WERN shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research raised Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens upgraded Werner Enterprises to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 41.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

NASDAQ WERN opened at $43.85 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.06 and a 12-month high of $45.27. The company has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of -292.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $40.86 and its 200-day moving average is $35.29.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.05. The business had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $812.50 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.12) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently -373.33%.

About Werner Enterprises

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.