Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Announces Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises issued weak Q3 2026 guidance, forecasting EPS of $0.15–$0.16 versus the $0.36 consensus estimate and revenue of $946–$951 million versus $954.7 million expected.
• The company’s outlook follows a prior quarterly miss, with analysts citing worsening sentiment; the stock was trading near $29.88, while the consensus rating remained “Hold” and the average price target fell to $38.85.
• Werner declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, or $0.56 annualized, representing an approximately 1.9% yield; the dividend is payable October 21 to shareholders of record October 5.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.150-0.160 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $946.0 million-$951.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $954.7 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on WERN. Stephens raised shares of Werner Enterprises to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Evercore raised Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and set a $32.00 target price (down from $43.00) on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.85.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.88. 706,357 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,088,853. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $36.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Werner Enterprises has a twelve month low of $23.06 and a twelve month high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $813.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.12 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%. Werner Enterprises's quarterly revenue was up 24.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is currently -73.68%.

Key Headlines Impacting Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target from $40 to $38 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels, indicating that Barclays sees potential value if freight conditions and profitability improve.
• Positive Sentiment: A pre-earnings Zacks report said Wall Street was expecting earnings growth and that Werner had factors that could support a potential earnings beat. However, that optimistic setup preceded the company’s subsequent preliminary warning. Werner Enterprises Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner provided earnings guidance for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026. The update gives investors a formal view of quarterly performance following the preliminary results and profit warning, with the market focused on the extent of the earnings shortfall. Werner Enterprises Provides Third-Quarter Earnings Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Werner’s early third-quarter readout missed market expectations, prompting a sharp selloff. The report raised concerns about weaker operating performance and reduced confidence ahead of the full earnings release. Werner Enterprises Shares Slump as Early Third-Quarter Readout Misses Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: The company issued a third-quarter profit warning and preliminary adjusted EPS and revenue guidance, signaling that results would fall short of earlier expectations. This is the primary catalyst behind the recent weakness in WERN. Werner Enterprises Issues Q3 Profit Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Werner from “strong buy” to “hold,” adding to the negative sentiment and suggesting that the earnings outlook no longer supports an aggressive bullish stance.

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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