Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from brokerages, with seven analysts assigning a sell rating and an average 12-month target price of $27.71.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.11, surpassing expectations, but experienced a 1.0% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• Werner Enterprises announced a $0.14 quarterly dividend and plans to repurchase up to 5 million shares, indicating confidence in the stock's valuation.

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.7143.

Several analysts recently commented on WERN shares. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 6.1%

Shares of WERN stock opened at $26.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.06. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.02 and a one year high of $42.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

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

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, October 6th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 6th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is currently 65.12%.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1,119.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,511 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 11,485 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 164.3% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 11,066 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 6,879 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the first quarter worth $686,000. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1.8% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 22,516 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1.6% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 33,848 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $992,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company's stock.

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.

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