Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Given New $28.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price target trimmed by The Goldman Sachs Group from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sell rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $27.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.07.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of WERN opened at $28.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 51.85 and a beta of 1.06. Werner Enterprises has a 52-week low of $26.50 and a 52-week high of $42.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.27%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.82%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1,119.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,511 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 11,485 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth about $31,634,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 126,453 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,542,000 after acquiring an additional 16,366 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 70.5% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 55,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after acquiring an additional 23,120 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by 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.