Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Price Target Raised to $37.00

Key Points

• UBS raised its price target on Werner Enterprises to $37 while keeping a "neutral" rating, yet analysts remain mixed overall with a consensus target of $34.69 and an average rating of "Reduce".
• Shares jumped about 7% to $36.82 after Q1 results — the company posted $0.02 EPS (vs. a -$0.03 consensus) and 13.6% YoY revenue growth, though revenue missed some Street estimates.
• Institutional ownership is high (~89.3%) with big Q4 buys from Wellington and Invesco, while an insider (the COO) sold a small stake, reflecting mixed insider and institutional flows.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at UBS Group from $33.00 to $37.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the transportation company's stock. UBS Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.49% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird upgraded Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $34.69.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 7.0%

Shares of WERN traded up $2.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.82. 1,560,593 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,152,050. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The stock has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -153.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50-day moving average is $31.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.37. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $38.46.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $806.70 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.04% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.Werner Enterprises's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.12) earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Werner Enterprises

In other news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,418 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $49,318.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 55,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,945,801.88. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WERN. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 605.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,510,354 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $75,336,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154,428 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 539.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,670,737 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $50,139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,409,556 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth about $34,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 572.4% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,297,054 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $38,925,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104,160 shares during the period. Finally, Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth about $23,813,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Werner Enterprises

Here are the key news stories impacting Werner Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and year-over-year improvement: Werner reported $0.02 EPS vs. a consensus loss, improving from a loss a year ago — a near-term earnings beat that supports sentiment. Werner Enterprises (WERN) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year outlook and narrowed its Q1 loss; management cited improving rates, growth in dedicated revenue and a strong customer retention rate after the FirstFleet acquisition — constructive for forward guidance. Werner Enterprises Gains on Lifted Full-Year Outlook, Narrowed 1Q Loss
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target from $36 to $43 (maintaining a Hold), implying meaningful upside from current levels and signaling some analyst confidence in the company’s recovery and margin improvement. (TD Cowen note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release and slide deck detail operational progress (fleet growth, integration of FirstFleet, 95% customer retention) and provide color on strategy — useful for modeling but not a direct catalyst alone. Werner Enterprises Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly call highlights and analyst write-ups summarize trends and management commentary; these provide context for forward guidance and capacity plans but are informational. Werner Enterprises Inc (WERN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and some metric misses: while revenue grew ~13.6% y/y (~$808M reported in some sources), that number missed certain Street estimates and there are mixed profitability signs — operating profit and net income remained pressured and some outlets reported a small diluted EPS miss on alternative metrics. Higher capex and rising liabilities were highlighted, which could pressure free cash flow. Werner Enterprises Inc. (WERN) stock falls on Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/ownership friction: recent analyst targets are mixed (median target below current levels in some datasets) and institutional portfolio shifts/insider sales noted by data providers add uncertainty to near-term sentiment. Werner Enterprises Inc. (WERN) stock falls on Q1 2026 Earnings

About Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America's largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner's core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.

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