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

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Susquehanna upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WERN. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,634,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 126,453 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,542,000 after purchasing an additional 16,366 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 70.5% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 55,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after purchasing an additional 23,120 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 224,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,071,000 after purchasing an additional 96,500 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 379,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,639,000 after purchasing an additional 105,092 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $30.13 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.78 and a beta of 0.85. Werner Enterprises has a twelve month low of $28.77 and a twelve month high of $42.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $33.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.40.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.27%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is presently 101.82%.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce in the United States, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Truckload Transportation Services and Werner Logistics.