Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Shares Up 5.2% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) rose 5.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $34.90 and last traded at $34.7320. Approximately 367,495 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 1,008,932 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.01.

Key Werner Enterprises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner agreed to buy FirstFleet for $245M, materially expanding its dedicated fleet and footprint — a strategic deal that increases scale, recurring contracted revenue potential and fleet density for its dedicated segment. Werner acquires dedicated carrier FirstFleet for $245M
• Positive Sentiment: Company says the acquisition expands dedicated capabilities and boosts the dedicated fleet nearly 50%, supporting long-term margin and customer retention benefits in the higher?margin dedicated business. Werner Expands Dedicated Fleet Nearly 50% With FirstFleet Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Scale impact headlines note Werner becomes one of the largest US carriers after the deal, which can improve network leverage and pricing power over time. Werner Enterprises acquires FirstFleet in $245 million carrier merger
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded WERN from underperform to neutral with a $34 target — a mild positive signal but a target roughly in line with the current price, implying limited near-term upside from that shop. Finviz – WERN quote / headlines
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner will present at multiple February investor conferences (Stifel, Citi, others), increasing management access and the chance to outline integration targets and guidance assumptions for FirstFleet. Werner Enterprises to Participate in Three Investment Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts/wall street commentary note expected earnings growth into the next report, but consensus suggests Werner may not have the setup for a clear beat — keep an eye on guidance and margin commentary post-acquisition. Zacks – Werner expected to report earnings
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Hold and a $31 price target, citing that while the FirstFleet deal boosts scale, it limits near-term upside and embeds integration risk — the $31 target implies downside vs. recent levels and likely pressured sentiment. Werner Enterprises: Neutral Rating Maintained as FirstFleet Acquisition Boosts Scale but Limits Upside at $31 Target

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WERN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird upgraded Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $27.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Werner Enterprises from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $22.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $31.79.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 1.1%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $30.81 and its 200 day moving average is $28.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 83.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $712.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $763.63 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 0.85% and a return on equity of 0.14%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 5th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 5th. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is presently 136.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $12,972,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,893,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $79,172,000 after buying an additional 424,935 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 180.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 578,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 372,629 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 222.8% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 339,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,938,000 after acquiring an additional 234,394 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.