Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price Down 4.8% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises shares fell 4.8% to $36.72 in mid-day trading, with volume down 84% from the average session.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $41.54, implying potential upside from its trading price.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.22 in EPS versus $0.24 expected and revenue of $813.36 million versus $931.12 million expected. Werner also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14, equal to a 1.5% annualized yield.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 4.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $36.61 and last traded at $36.72. Approximately 184,335 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 1,123,011 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WERN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $43.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.54.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.30 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.28.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $931.12 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 1.18% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.14 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, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 5th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is presently -73.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WERN. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 205,654 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,172,000 after buying an additional 30,812 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the first quarter worth about $1,119,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 30.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 284,197 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,358,000 after acquiring an additional 65,534 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,860,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 57.6% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 510,847 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,024,000 after acquiring an additional 186,631 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

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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