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

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from fifteen ratings firms, with six analysts recommending a sell, six suggesting a hold, and three advising a buy.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share will be paid on October 22nd, reflecting a 2.0% yield and a payout ratio of 65.12%.
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Werner Enterprises from a "sell" to a "buy" rating, significantly increasing the price target from $25.00 to $39.00.

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Reduce" by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.4286.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Werner Enterprises from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WERN traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,844,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 578,492. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.09. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $42.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $28.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.10.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $753.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $736.09 million. Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 0.92% and a net margin of 1.77%.The business's revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, August 11th that permits the company to buyback 5,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 6th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter worth $31,634,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1,642.2% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 620,855 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $18,191,000 after acquiring an additional 585,218 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth $12,972,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,893,705 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $79,172,000 after acquiring an additional 424,935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 1st quarter worth $9,102,000. 89.32% of the stock is currently 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.