Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Given New $29.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its target price hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $26.00 to $29.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on WERN. Citigroup increased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $30.21.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 0.4%

Werner Enterprises stock opened at $33.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 80.71, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.07. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.02 and a 12-month high of $38.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $28.61 and its 200 day moving average is $28.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $712.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $763.63 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 0.85% and a return on equity of 0.14%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 136.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 289.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 306.9% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 413.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,764 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America’s largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner’s core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.