Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Price Target Cut to $40.00

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its target price cut by Stephens from $42.00 to $40.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $40.83.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ WERN opened at $36.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 1.90. Werner Enterprises has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $47.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.06. The company has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.82.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.14). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 6.15%. The company had revenue of $769.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $788.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WERN. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 139.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 703 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Strs Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 35.3% in the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,300 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 46.5% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,402 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

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.