Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises shares hit a new 52-week high of $47.49 intraday, continuing a recent rally and trading above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but has improved recently, with upgrades from Stephens and Evercore helping offset weaker ratings; the current consensus is Hold with an average price target of $40.85.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $0.02 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in below expectations at $730.14 million; Werner also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share.

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $47.49 and last traded at $47.29, with a volume of 1514886 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WERN. Weiss Ratings raised Werner Enterprises from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore raised Werner Enterprises from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Stephens upgraded Werner Enterprises to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Werner Enterprises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.85.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 2.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of -315.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The business's fifty day moving average price is $42.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.02.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.50 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 0.28%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.12) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -373.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $34,201,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 205,654 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,172,000 after purchasing an additional 30,812 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 2,750,034 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $82,529,000 after purchasing an additional 120,343 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,514,200 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $195,491,000 after purchasing an additional 90,480 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth about $4,081,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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