Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Price Target Cut to $52.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered Werner Enterprises’ price target to $52 from $55 but maintained an Overweight rating, implying substantial upside from the stock’s $27.90 close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $37.86, while several firms recently reduced their targets and others maintained more positive views.
• Werner’s third-quarter EPS of $0.16 matched expectations and improved from a year-earlier loss, but revenue of $825.3 million missed the $956.6 million consensus estimate and the company remained unprofitable on a net-margin basis.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $55.00 to $52.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential upside of 86.37% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna raised Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.86.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 5.0%

WERN stock traded down $1.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.90. 1,224,809 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,091,163. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $47.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of -36.72 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $35.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.13.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $956.55 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.03) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $56,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,653 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 17.7% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,405,606 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $453,788,000 after buying an additional 1,563,170 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. boosted 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 worth $59,579,000 after buying an additional 812,800 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,042,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $89,848,000 after acquiring an additional 304,983 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.16, matching expectations and improving from a $0.03 loss in the prior-year period. Revenue increased 23.2% year over year, supported by improved fleet efficiency. Werner Enterprises Swings To Q3 Profit; Revenue Rises 23%
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to rise approximately 10% to 13% and reduced its 2026 net capital-expenditure outlook to $190 million–$205 million, potentially supporting free cash flow. Werner Q4 Outlook and CapEx Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on Werner, indicating that at least one major analyst sees longer-term upside despite near-term freight-market challenges. Morgan Stanley Remains a Buy on Werner Enterprises
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue of $825.3 million fell well short of the $956.6 million consensus estimate, even though it grew from the prior year. The company also reported a negative net margin, highlighting continued profitability pressure despite the return to positive EPS. Werner Enterprises Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target from $40 to $36 and assigned a Hold rating, while Wells Fargo cut its target from $35 to $31 and maintained Equal Weight. The reductions suggest analysts remain cautious about the pace and durability of the recovery. Stifel Nicolaus Werner Analyst Rating

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.