Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $26.50 and last traded at $26.81, with a volume of 433652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $28.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.07.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.78 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day moving average price is $31.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.27%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,168 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 20,216 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 53,495 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,922,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 69.7% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,176 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,761 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during 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.