Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.75.

Several analysts have weighed in on WERN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of WERN stock opened at $37.36 on Monday. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $33.12 and a 12-month high of $43.75. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.94 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $36.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The transportation company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $760.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $769.81 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.99% and a return on equity of 4.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 7th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is 42.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WERN. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 390.1% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 740 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Werner Enterprises during the first quarter worth $43,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce in the United States, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Truckload Transportation Services and Werner Logistics.