Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises reported earnings of $0.11 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.05.
• The company's dividend yield is 2.01%, with a quarterly payout of $0.14 announced recently.
• Investment analysts have mixed ratings on Werner's stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $30.40.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.06, Zacks reports. Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 1.20% and a net margin of 0.60%. The business's revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 EPS.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WERN traded down $0.80 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.81. 1,725,683 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 898,051. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.02 and a 12-month high of $42.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.90, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $27.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.91.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 7th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio is presently 193.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,697 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,598 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 33.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 21,660 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 5,473 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of Werner Enterprises to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Werner Enterprises from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird started coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.40.

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.