Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Given New $36.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target for Werner Enterprises from $40 to $36 while maintaining a “hold” rating. The broader analyst consensus is also “hold,” with an average target of $38.07.
• Werner shares fell 3.3% to $28.40, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Other analysts have also reduced targets, including Bank of America to $32 and JPMorgan to $33.
• The company’s quarterly EPS of $0.16 matched expectations and improved from a loss a year earlier, while revenue rose 23.2% to $825.3 million—but fell well short of the $956.6 million consensus estimate.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $40.00 to $36.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the transportation company's stock. Stifel Nicolaus's target price points to a potential upside of 26.76% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on WERN. Citigroup decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.07.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WERN traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.40. 848,562 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,089,409. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of -37.21 and a beta of 1.29. The business's 50 day moving average is $35.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. The company had revenue of $825.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $956.55 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%. Werner Enterprises's quarterly revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.03) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.7% during the second 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,637,086 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $115,003,000 after buying an additional 79,075 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,794,752 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $111,601,000 after buying an additional 148,826 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 11.1% during 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 buying an additional 304,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 146.9% during 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 buying an additional 812,800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Werner Enterprises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner reported adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share, matching Wall Street expectations and improving from a $0.03-per-share loss a year earlier. Revenue increased 23.2% year over year. Werner Enterprises third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to rise approximately 10% to 13%, suggesting improving freight pricing and demand. The company also reduced planned 2026 net capital expenditures to $190 million-$205 million, which could support cash flow. Werner fourth-quarter outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating, indicating that at least one major analyst continues to see recovery potential in WERN. Morgan Stanley rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo kept an Equal Weight rating but lowered its price target from $35 to $31. The new target still implies potential upside, but the reduction signals more limited near-term confidence. Wells Fargo price target change
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $825.3 million came in well below the $956.6 million consensus estimate. Although profitability improved, the top-line shortfall raises concerns about freight volumes and the pace of the broader trucking recovery.

About Werner Enterprises

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.

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