Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $32.57.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 8.2%

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $34.76 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $31.96 and its 200 day moving average is $28.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of -144.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.08. Werner Enterprises has a 1 year low of $23.02 and a 1 year high of $38.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $737.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 0.04%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.08 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,972,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,893,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $79,172,000 after buying an additional 424,935 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 180.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 578,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,369,000 after buying an additional 372,629 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 222.8% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 339,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,938,000 after acquiring an additional 234,394 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $39 and set an “equal weight” rating, signaling conviction in near‑term upside tied to execution and the company’s strategy. Wells Fargo raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its target to $39 and kept a “hold” rating, another vote that the stock has upside if integration and dedicated business growth play out. TD Cowen raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and the Business Wire release highlight growth in dedicated revenue and the strategic rationale for the FirstFleet acquisition, which management says should support longer‑term stable revenue. Company Q4 release
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors seeking detail on guidance, cost trends and fleet/dedicated integration plans — useful for assessing execution risk. Earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage notes the FirstFleet buy is a strategic bet that could spark consolidation in dedicated trucking; outcome depends on scale and margin improvements. FirstFleet M&A context
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target to $28 and moved to “underweight” — the most bearish broker action today and a major contributor to selling pressure. JPMorgan cuts PT
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating with a $34 target, keeping downside risk from some institutional desks.
• Negative Sentiment: Werner missed Q4 estimates: $0.05 EPS vs. $0.09 expected and revenue of ~$737.6M vs. $767.5M consensus — disappointing results that directly pressure the stock. Earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: News that a long‑running drivers’ lawsuit has a settlement ready raises potential cash/legal overhang and investor concern about contingency costs. Lawsuit settlement

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.