Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Werner Enterprises from a "strong sell" to a "hold"; across 15 analysts there are 2 Buys, 9 Holds and 4 Sells, with an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $35.15.
• Werner reported Q1 EPS of $0.02, beating estimates by $0.05, while revenue of $730.14 million missed consensus despite rising 13.6% year-over-year.
• Shares trade around $36.38 (52-week range $23.06–$38.46) with a $2.18 billion market cap and a negative P/E; institutional investors own about 89% of the stock and the COO recently sold shares.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

WERN has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $35.15.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $36.38 on Wednesday. Werner Enterprises has a 52 week low of $23.06 and a 52 week high of $38.46. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -242.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $31.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.50 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.12) earnings per share. Werner Enterprises's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,418 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,945,801.88. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WERN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,514,200 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $195,491,000 after acquiring an additional 90,480 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 4.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,794,752 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $111,601,000 after acquiring an additional 148,826 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 5.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,058,938 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $80,511,000 after acquiring an additional 165,233 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 11.1% in the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 3,055,017 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $89,848,000 after acquiring an additional 304,983 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 605.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,510,354 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $75,336,000 after acquiring an additional 2,154,428 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.32% of the company's stock.

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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