Stephens Upgrades Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) to Strong-Buy

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was upgraded by research analysts at Stephens to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. 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. Wall Street Zen raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.15.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $43.16 on Wednesday. Werner Enterprises has a 1 year low of $23.06 and a 1 year high of $45.27. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $40.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -287.73, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.50 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The business’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.12) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 86.9% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $217,000. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.