Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.85.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WERN. Bank of America cut their price target on Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Barclays cut their price target on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen cut their target price on Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $36.31 on Friday. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $33.12 and a 12-month high of $47.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $37.60 and its 200-day moving average is $39.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $769.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.30 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 6.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,854,948 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $228,050,000 after acquiring an additional 48,380 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 169,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,168,000 after acquiring an additional 44,159 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth about $337,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 576,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $22,439,000 after acquiring an additional 39,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 705,304 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,472,000 after purchasing an additional 153,271 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

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.