Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises shares gapped down from $37.56 to an opening price of $36.04, trading below both its 50-day moving average of $39.89 and consensus analyst target of $41.54.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating from 16 analysts and price targets ranging from $36 to $47.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.22 in earnings per share versus $0.24 expected and revenue of $813.36 million versus $931.12 million forecast, though revenue increased 24% year over year. Werner also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, yielding approximately 1.6%.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $37.56, but opened at $36.04. Werner Enterprises shares last traded at $36.0960, with a volume of 97,655 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Susquehanna raised Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $41.54.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.16 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's fifty day moving average is $39.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.38. 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 (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $813.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.12 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.18%. The business's revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 1.6%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -73.68%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1,361.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,921,152 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $56,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,653 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.7% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,405,606 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $453,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,563,170 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 146.9% in the second quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,366,167 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $59,579,000 after acquiring an additional 812,800 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at about $26,042,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 11.1% during the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 3,055,017 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $89,848,000 after acquiring an additional 304,983 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

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 the United States, as well as in Mexico and Canada.

The company's operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and logistics services. Its truckload business transports consumer and industrial goods using a network of company trucks and independent carriers, while its dedicated operations provide customized fleets and drivers for customers with recurring freight needs.

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