Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at TD Cowen

TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) in a report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a hold rating and a $31.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $31.79.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

WERN opened at $34.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.08. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $37.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.51.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.18). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.85%.The business had revenue of $712.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $763.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, January 5th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is currently 136.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Werner Enterprises by 57.8% during the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 289.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 306.9% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 413.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,764 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner agreed to buy FirstFleet for $245M, materially expanding its dedicated fleet and footprint — a strategic deal that increases scale, recurring contracted revenue potential and fleet density for its dedicated segment. Werner acquires dedicated carrier FirstFleet for $245M
• Positive Sentiment: Company says the acquisition expands dedicated capabilities and boosts the dedicated fleet nearly 50%, supporting long-term margin and customer retention benefits in the higher‑margin dedicated business. Werner Expands Dedicated Fleet Nearly 50% With FirstFleet Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Scale impact headlines note Werner becomes one of the largest US carriers after the deal, which can improve network leverage and pricing power over time. Werner Enterprises acquires FirstFleet in $245 million carrier merger
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded WERN from underperform to neutral with a $34 target — a mild positive signal but a target roughly in line with the current price, implying limited near-term upside from that shop. Finviz – WERN quote / headlines
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner will present at multiple February investor conferences (Stifel, Citi, others), increasing management access and the chance to outline integration targets and guidance assumptions for FirstFleet. Werner Enterprises to Participate in Three Investment Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts/wall street commentary note expected earnings growth into the next report, but consensus suggests Werner may not have the setup for a clear beat — keep an eye on guidance and margin commentary post-acquisition. Zacks – Werner expected to report earnings
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Hold and a $31 price target, citing that while the FirstFleet deal boosts scale, it limits near-term upside and embeds integration risk — the $31 target implies downside vs. recent levels and likely pressured sentiment. Werner Enterprises: Neutral Rating Maintained as FirstFleet Acquisition Boosts Scale but Limits Upside at $31 Target

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.