Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Werner Enterprises shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $38.50 after closing at $37.86 the previous day, on volume of more than 322,000 shares.
• Recent analyst updates were mixed but generally modestly improved, with several firms raising price targets to $37 and multiple ratings upgraded to Hold; the stock’s consensus rating is still "Reduce" with an average target of $35.15.
• The company beat earnings expectations but missed on revenue, reporting $0.02 EPS versus an expected loss, while revenue of $730.14 million fell short of estimates despite rising 13.6% year over year.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $38.50 and last traded at $38.3890, with a volume of 322559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WERN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Werner Enterprises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $35.15.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 1.2%

The firm has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of -255.58, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $31.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.10.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.05. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The business had revenue of $730.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $812.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.12) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is currently -373.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,428 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $49,980.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 57,364 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,740. The trade was a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 289.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 42.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,542 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.