Analysts Set Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Target Price at $30.50

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned Werner Enterprises a consensus rating of "Reduce", with six sell ratings, six hold ratings, and three buy ratings. The average 12-month price target is set at $30.50.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, which translates to an annualized yield of 2.0%, and has a payout ratio currently at 65.12%.
• Institutional ownership is significant, with 89.32% of the stock held by hedge funds and other institutional investors, reflecting a growing interest in the company.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Reduce" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.50.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Werner Enterprises to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of WERN traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $28.83. The company had a trading volume of 461,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,144. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $28.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Werner Enterprises has a 1-year low of $23.02 and a 1-year high of $42.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.08.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.06. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.77% and a return on equity of 0.92%. The business had revenue of $753.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $736.09 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 6th. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is 65.12%.

Werner Enterprises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, August 11th that allows the company to buyback 5,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,257,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,634,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Werner Enterprises by 1,642.2% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 620,855 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $18,191,000 after buying an additional 585,218 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises during the second quarter valued at approximately $12,972,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.2% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,893,705 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $79,172,000 after purchasing an additional 424,935 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.