Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Earns Underperform Rating from Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an underperform rating and a $25.00 target price on the transportation company's stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on WERN. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.27.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

WERN traded down $0.18 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $29.08. The stock had a trading volume of 439,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,962. The business has a 50-day moving average of $27.11 and a 200-day moving average of $30.81. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.02 and a one year high of $42.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of 100.26, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.07.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $712.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $738.41 million. Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 1.20% and a net margin of 0.60%. Werner Enterprises's revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is 193.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 5.0% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,706 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 562 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 1,687.6% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 27,708 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 26,158 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,717,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 1st quarter worth $6,227,000. Finally, Dean Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 82,501 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Werner Enterprises

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.