Meros Investment Management LP Invests $2.21 Million in Werner Enterprises, Inc. $WERN

Meros Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 73,571 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,208,000. Meros Investment Management LP owned approximately 0.12% of Werner Enterprises as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WERN. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $34,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,972,000. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 180.8% during 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 last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 222.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 339,589 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,938,000 after acquiring an additional 234,394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 126.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 410,015 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,305,000 after acquiring an additional 229,150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ WERN opened at $43.07 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.48. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $45.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -287.13, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.26.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $812.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.12) earnings per share. Werner Enterprises’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is -373.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WERN has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.17.

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.