Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $32.80 and last traded at $32.89, with a volume of 150231 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WERN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.29.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 1.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.79 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.30.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 2.27% and a net margin of 1.13%. As a group, analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is currently 101.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,168 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 20,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 53,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,922,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.