Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore upped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $32.57.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WERN opened at $34.76 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -144.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.81. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $38.45.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $737.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.04% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 5th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 5th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -233.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 30,464 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,717,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 64,228 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,758,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Werner Enterprises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $39 and set an “equal weight” rating, signaling conviction in near?term upside tied to execution and the company’s strategy. Wells Fargo raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its target to $39 and kept a “hold” rating, another vote that the stock has upside if integration and dedicated business growth play out. TD Cowen raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and the Business Wire release highlight growth in dedicated revenue and the strategic rationale for the FirstFleet acquisition, which management says should support longer?term stable revenue. Company Q4 release
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors seeking detail on guidance, cost trends and fleet/dedicated integration plans — useful for assessing execution risk. Earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage notes the FirstFleet buy is a strategic bet that could spark consolidation in dedicated trucking; outcome depends on scale and margin improvements. FirstFleet M&A context
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target to $28 and moved to “underweight” — the most bearish broker action today and a major contributor to selling pressure. JPMorgan cuts PT
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating with a $34 target, keeping downside risk from some institutional desks.
• Negative Sentiment: Werner missed Q4 estimates: $0.05 EPS vs. $0.09 expected and revenue of ~$737.6M vs. $767.5M consensus — disappointing results that directly pressure the stock. Earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: News that a long?running drivers’ lawsuit has a settlement ready raises potential cash/legal overhang and investor concern about contingency costs. Lawsuit settlement

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.