Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Bumped Down to “Hold” by Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WERN. Stephens raised Werner Enterprises to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.85.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 1.4%

WERN stock opened at $29.80 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.21 and a beta of 1.29. Werner Enterprises has a 52 week low of $23.06 and a 52 week high of $47.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $36.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.02). Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%. The company had revenue of $813.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 5th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently -73.68%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 1,361.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,921,152 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,653 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,405,606 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $453,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,563,170 shares during the last quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 146.9% in the 2nd quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,366,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $59,579,000 after purchasing an additional 812,800 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,042,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 3,055,017 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $89,848,000 after purchasing an additional 304,983 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Werner Enterprises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays maintained an “equal weight” rating but reduced its price target from $40 to $38. The revised target still implies meaningful upside from recent trading levels, suggesting the analyst sees potential value despite near-term headwinds. Barclays price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Before the preliminary update, Zacks said Werner had factors that could support an earnings beat, while another report noted that the company was scheduled to release quarterly results. Those expectations have since been overtaken by the company’s profit warning and early third-quarter readout. Zacks earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Werner issued a third-quarter profit warning and preliminary adjusted EPS and revenue guidance that missed market expectations. The disappointing early results prompted a sharp decline in the stock and raise the risk of downward revisions to analyst estimates. Werner Enterprises issues Q3 profit warning Preliminary Q3 results
• Negative Sentiment: The early third-quarter readout missed expectations, confirming that earnings weakness—not simply broader market trading—is the key near-term driver of selling in WERN. Investors will focus on the company’s detailed quarterly report and outlook for evidence of when margins and freight demand may recover. MarketWatch preliminary Q3 readout

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner, the company provides freight transportation and supply chain services to customers across North America.

The company’s operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and regional truckload services. Werner also provides logistics services, including freight brokerage, intermodal transportation, cross-border transportation, and supply chain management solutions.