Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Given New $27.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price target cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $34.00 to $27.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WERN. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.13.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $29.80 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $33.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.27. Werner Enterprises has a 52-week low of $28.77 and a 52-week high of $42.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.18 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,634,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 14.9% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 70.5% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 55,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after purchasing an additional 23,120 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 224,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,071,000 after purchasing an additional 96,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 379,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,639,000 after purchasing an additional 105,092 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.