StockNews.com Downgrades Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) to Sell

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

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

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

NASDAQ WERN opened at $27.90 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $32.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $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 has a twelve month low of $26.55 and a twelve month high of $42.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 50.73 and a beta of 0.85.

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 return on equity of 2.27% and a net margin of 1.13%. On average, research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 69.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,634,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 14.9% during 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 valued at $4,542,000 after buying an additional 16,366 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 70.5% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 55,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 23,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 224,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,071,000 after acquiring an additional 96,500 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Werner Enterprises

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.