Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its price target on Werner from $34 to $37 while maintaining a "neutral" rating, though the stock still sits below the broader analyst consensus which has a "Reduce" rating and a $34.69 target.
• Q1 results showed an EPS beat of $0.02 versus a consensus loss of ($0.03) and revenue up 13.6% year‑over‑year to $730.1M, but revenue missed some Street estimates; management raised its full‑year outlook and cited improving rates and FirstFleet integration.
• The stock jumped to $36.82 on the news (market cap ~$2.21B), while insider activity included a COO sale and insider ownership of ~1.3% versus institutional ownership of ~89.3%, highlighting mixed sentiment around the name.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Citigroup from $34.00 to $37.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the transportation company's stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 0.49% from the stock's previous close.

WERN has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird raised Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $34.69.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

NASDAQ WERN traded up $2.42 on Wednesday, reaching $36.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,560,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,152,050. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.37. Werner Enterprises has a 1-year low of $23.02 and a 1-year high of $38.46. The company has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -153.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.09.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $806.70 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.04% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.12) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,418 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $49,318.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 55,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,945,801.88. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 289.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 42.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,542 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Werner Enterprises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and year-over-year improvement: Werner reported $0.02 EPS vs. a consensus loss, improving from a loss a year ago — a near-term earnings beat that supports sentiment. Werner Enterprises (WERN) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year outlook and narrowed its Q1 loss; management cited improving rates, growth in dedicated revenue and a strong customer retention rate after the FirstFleet acquisition — constructive for forward guidance. Werner Enterprises Gains on Lifted Full-Year Outlook, Narrowed 1Q Loss
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target from $36 to $43 (maintaining a Hold), implying meaningful upside from current levels and signaling some analyst confidence in the company’s recovery and margin improvement. (TD Cowen note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release and slide deck detail operational progress (fleet growth, integration of FirstFleet, 95% customer retention) and provide color on strategy — useful for modeling but not a direct catalyst alone. Werner Enterprises Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly call highlights and analyst write-ups summarize trends and management commentary; these provide context for forward guidance and capacity plans but are informational. Werner Enterprises Inc (WERN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and some metric misses: while revenue grew ~13.6% y/y (~$808M reported in some sources), that number missed certain Street estimates and there are mixed profitability signs — operating profit and net income remained pressured and some outlets reported a small diluted EPS miss on alternative metrics. Higher capex and rising liabilities were highlighted, which could pressure free cash flow. Werner Enterprises Inc. (WERN) stock falls on Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/ownership friction: recent analyst targets are mixed (median target below current levels in some datasets) and institutional portfolio shifts/insider sales noted by data providers add uncertainty to near-term sentiment. Werner Enterprises Inc. (WERN) stock falls on Q1 2026 Earnings

About Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America's largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner's core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.

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