Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup lowered Werner Enterprises’ price target from $33 to $32 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying approximately 18% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the consensus rating is “Hold,” with four Buy, nine Hold, and three Sell ratings; the average price target is $37.57.
• Werner reported third-quarter EPS of $0.16, in line with estimates and up from a loss a year earlier, but revenue of $825.28 million fell well short of the $956.55 million consensus. Shares declined 7.7% to $27.13 amid continued profitability concerns.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at Citigroup from $33.00 to $32.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the transportation company's stock. Citigroup's price target suggests a potential upside of 17.95% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on WERN. Evercore raised shares of Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Werner Enterprises from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.57.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 7.7%

Shares of WERN traded down $2.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.13. The stock had a trading volume of 2,595,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,095,118. The firm has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.70 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Werner Enterprises has a 52-week low of $23.06 and a 52-week high of $47.49. The business's fifty day moving average is $35.02 and its 200 day moving average is $36.13.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. The business had revenue of $825.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.03) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WERN. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 56.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 860 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 9,098 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,812 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 185.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 40.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,266 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner returned to profitability in Q3, reporting adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share versus a $0.03 loss a year earlier. Revenue increased 23.2% year over year, supported by improved fleet efficiency. Werner Enterprises Swings to Q3 Profit
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to rise 10% to 13% and reduced projected 2026 net capital expenditures to $190 million–$205 million, potentially supporting cash flow. Werner Q4 Outlook and Capital Expenditures
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $33 to $34, but maintained an “underweight” rating. Morgan Stanley remains bullish with an “overweight” rating despite reducing its target from $55 to $52. JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $825.28 million fell well short of the $956.55 million consensus estimate, overshadowing the earnings-per-share beat versus the prior-year loss. The company also continues to report a negative net margin, highlighting weak profitability. Werner Q3 Earnings Flash
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel lowered its target from $40 to $36 with a “hold” rating, while Wells Fargo cut its target from $35 to $31 and kept an “equal weight” rating. These reductions indicate that analysts remain concerned about the pace and quality of the recovery. Stifel Analyst Rating

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.

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.