KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 12,400 Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Werner Enterprises by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 3rd quarter valued at about $96,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,976 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 59.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cim Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 2.0 %

WERN stock opened at $27.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.73 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.55 and a twelve month high of $42.48.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WERN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $27.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.73.

Werner Enterprises 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.