Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.27.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

NASDAQ WERN opened at $29.25 on Thursday. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $42.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 100.86, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.24). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 1.20% and a net margin of 0.60%. The firm had revenue of $712.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $738.41 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Werner Enterprises’s revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is 193.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 163.5% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 959 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 595 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 69.7% during the first 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 during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 796.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,703 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 15.9% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,937 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.