Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Rating Increased to Outperform at Robert W. Baird

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $43.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target suggests a potential upside of 17.33% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently commented on WERN. Citigroup increased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.85.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $36.65 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.42. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $47.49. The firm has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of -48.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $813.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $931.12 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.17%. The business’s revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1,361.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,921,152 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,653 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 539.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,670,737 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,409,556 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 572.4% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,297,054 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,925,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,813,000. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Werner Enterprises News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner reported second-quarter revenue growth of 24% year over year, supported by expansion in its Truckload Transportation Services segment. Management said the Dedicated business is growing and that the FirstFleet acquisition is contributing to margin improvement. Werner Enterprises Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects Dedicated revenue per truck per week to increase approximately 3% to 5% and said the freight market may be entering the “early innings” of carrier exits. Reduced industry capacity could support pricing and utilization if the trend continues. Werner CEO: Still in early innings of carrier exits
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner raised its 2026 net capital expenditure outlook to $215 million-$250 million, reflecting continued investment in fleet and operations. The spending could support long-term growth but may limit near-term free cash flow. Werner outlines Dedicated revenue growth and raises net CapEx
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $0.22 narrowly missed the $0.24 consensus estimate. Despite higher revenue, rising costs sharply pressured operating and net income, keeping investors focused on whether margin improvements can persist. Werner Enterprises Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $37 to $39 but maintained an underweight rating, while TD Cowen cut its target from $43 to $41 and kept a hold rating. The mixed-to-cautious analyst stance is adding pressure to the stock. Analyst price-target coverage

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.