Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Increases Stake in Werner Enterprises, Inc. $WERN

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in Q4, adding 120,343 shares to hold 2,750,034 shares (about $82.53M), while institutional ownership stands at 89.32% and several other large funds also increased or initiated positions.
• Werner missed Q4 expectations—$0.05 EPS vs. $0.09 consensus and $737.6M revenue vs. $767.5M—reported a negative net margin, announced a $0.14 quarterly dividend (1.7% yield), and faces mixed analyst views with an average rating of "Reduce" and a $33.15 price target.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,750,034 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 120,343 shares during the period. Werner Enterprises accounts for about 1.6% of Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned 4.60% of Werner Enterprises worth $82,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 52.3% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 573,891 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,105,000 after purchasing an additional 197,155 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 19.0% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 174,842 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,602,000 after purchasing an additional 27,869 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $34,201,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 5.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,404,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $63,287,000 after purchasing an additional 123,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth $4,062,000. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Werner Enterprises stock opened at $32.36 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $31.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -134.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.02 and a 12-month high of $38.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $737.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 0.04%. Werner Enterprises's revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.08 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -233.33%.

Insider Transactions at Werner Enterprises

In other Werner Enterprises news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,428 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $49,980.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 57,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,740. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WERN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $33.15.

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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