UBS Group AG Boosts Holdings in Werner Enterprises, Inc. $WERN

Key Points

• UBS Group AG sharply increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 180.8% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 372,629 shares and bringing its total to 578,761 shares worth about $17.4 million.
• Werner Enterprises reported better-than-expected earnings of $0.02 per share for the latest quarter, though revenue came in below analyst estimates at $730.1 million despite rising 13.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain cautious on the stock: the consensus rating is “Reduce” with an average price target of $35.15, while the shares recently traded down 3.6% to $34.12.

UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Free Report) by 180.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 578,761 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 372,629 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.97% of Werner Enterprises worth $17,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 30,464 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $914,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,717,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 6.9% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.8% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 64,228 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.1% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 57,011 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $35.15.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 3.6%

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $34.12 on Wednesday. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.06 and a 1-year high of $38.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.67 and a 200 day moving average of $30.84. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of -227.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The company had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.12) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 13th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio is -373.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Werner Enterprises news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,418 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $49,318.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 55,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,945,801.88. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

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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