Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Reduce" on Werner Enterprises from 15 firms (5 sell, 8 hold, 2 buy) with an average one‑year price target of $33.8462 versus the stock near $34.40.
• Werner beat EPS expectations for the quarter (reported $0.02 vs. consensus -$0.03) but missed revenue estimates ($730.14M vs. $806.70M), with revenue up 13.6% year‑over‑year and analysts projecting about $0.84 EPS for the year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share (annualized $0.56, ~1.6% yield); meanwhile a COO sold 1,428 shares and institutional investors own roughly 89.32% of the stock.

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.8462.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WERN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Werner Enterprises

In other news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $49,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 57,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,007,740. This represents a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 52.3% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 573,891 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,105,000 after purchasing an additional 197,155 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 19.0% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 174,842 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,602,000 after purchasing an additional 27,869 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $34,201,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 5.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,404,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $63,287,000 after purchasing an additional 123,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth $4,062,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $34.40 on Wednesday. Werner Enterprises has a 1 year low of $23.02 and a 1 year high of $38.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -143.33, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $31.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.37.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.04% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The firm had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $806.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.12) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio is currently -233.33%.

About Werner Enterprises

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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