Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price Target Lowered at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo lowered Werner Enterprises’ price target from $35 to $31 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying 11.77% potential upside. Analysts overall have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price of $38.50.
• Werner shares fell 5.6% to $27.74, near the lower end of their 12-month range. The decline followed quarterly results in which adjusted EPS of $0.16 met expectations, but revenue of $825.28 million came in well below the $956.55 million consensus estimate.
• The company returned to profitability and reported 23.2% year-over-year revenue growth, but the revenue shortfall continues to raise concerns about freight demand and utilization. Institutional investors own approximately 89.32% of the stock.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target suggests a potential upside of 11.77% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on WERN. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Susquehanna raised Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.50.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 5.6%

Werner Enterprises stock traded down $1.64 on Wednesday, reaching $27.74. 188,224 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,085,673. Werner Enterprises has a twelve month low of $23.06 and a twelve month high of $47.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $35.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of -36.92 and a beta of 1.29.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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. 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 business posted ($0.03) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WERN. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 3.1% during 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in 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 valued at $111,601,000 after buying an additional 148,826 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 304,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 146.9% in the second quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,366,167 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $59,579,000 after acquiring an additional 812,800 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner returned to profitability, posting adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share, compared with a $0.03 loss a year earlier. The result matched Wall Street expectations and supports the view that cost controls and improving freight conditions are beginning to help. Werner Enterprises Meets Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to increase approximately 10% to 13%, indicating stronger pricing and potentially better operating leverage. The company also reduced its 2026 net capital-expenditure outlook to $190 million-$205 million, which could preserve cash and support financial flexibility. Werner Q4 Outlook and CapEx Update
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating, suggesting some analysts believe Werner’s depressed valuation and improving freight metrics offer upside if the recovery continues. Morgan Stanley Remains a Buy on Werner Enterprises
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 23.2% year over year to $825.28 million, but the increase was driven partly by comparison effects and did not translate into a beat against expectations. Werner Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell well short of the approximately $956.55 million consensus estimate, despite the year-over-year growth. The miss may reinforce concerns about subdued freight demand, fleet utilization, and the pace of the company’s recovery. Werner Q3 Earnings Metrics Compared With Estimates

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.

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