Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Hits New 1-Year Low at $34.65

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $34.65 and last traded at $34.65, with a volume of 247271 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $35.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on WERN shares. StockNews.com raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $49.00 target price on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.00.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $38.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.92.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.05). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 3.42% and a return on equity of 8.17%. The firm had revenue of $821.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $820.90 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is 31.82%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,420,141 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $272,021,000 after buying an additional 565,193 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,973,767 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $168,369,000 after purchasing an additional 282,210 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,811,218 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $161,484,000 after purchasing an additional 33,906 shares in the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 2,268,348 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,110,000 after purchasing an additional 812,563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,421,798 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $55,621,000 after purchasing an additional 48,340 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is 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.