TD Cowen Initiates Coverage on Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN)

Analysts at TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $31.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target points to a potential downside of 9.49% from the stock’s current price.

WERN has been the topic of several other reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $22.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $31.79.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of WERN opened at $34.25 on Friday. Werner Enterprises has a 1-year low of $23.02 and a 1-year high of $37.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $30.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.54, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WERN. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 33.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 21,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 5,473 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,697 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,598 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,717,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. 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 valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 306.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Werner Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Werner agreed to buy FirstFleet for $245M, materially expanding its dedicated fleet and footprint — a strategic deal that increases scale, recurring contracted revenue potential and fleet density for its dedicated segment. Werner acquires dedicated carrier FirstFleet for $245M
• Positive Sentiment: Company says the acquisition expands dedicated capabilities and boosts the dedicated fleet nearly 50%, supporting long-term margin and customer retention benefits in the higher‑margin dedicated business. Werner Expands Dedicated Fleet Nearly 50% With FirstFleet Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Scale impact headlines note Werner becomes one of the largest US carriers after the deal, which can improve network leverage and pricing power over time. Werner Enterprises acquires FirstFleet in $245 million carrier merger
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded WERN from underperform to neutral with a $34 target — a mild positive signal but a target roughly in line with the current price, implying limited near-term upside from that shop. Finviz – WERN quote / headlines
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner will present at multiple February investor conferences (Stifel, Citi, others), increasing management access and the chance to outline integration targets and guidance assumptions for FirstFleet. Werner Enterprises to Participate in Three Investment Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts/wall street commentary note expected earnings growth into the next report, but consensus suggests Werner may not have the setup for a clear beat — keep an eye on guidance and margin commentary post-acquisition. Zacks – Werner expected to report earnings
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Hold and a $31 price target, citing that while the FirstFleet deal boosts scale, it limits near-term upside and embeds integration risk — the $31 target implies downside vs. recent levels and likely pressured sentiment. Werner Enterprises: Neutral Rating Maintained as FirstFleet Acquisition Boosts Scale but Limits Upside at $31 Target

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.