Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $34.65

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $34.65 and last traded at $34.65, with a volume of 247271 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WERN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered shares of Werner Enterprises from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.00.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 1.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $38.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.05). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 3.42%. The business had revenue of $821.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $820.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 139.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 703 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 35.3% in the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,300 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 46.5% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,402 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce in the United States, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Truckload Transportation Services and Werner Logistics.

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