Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $32.31 and last traded at $32.48, with a volume of 744178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WERN has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Susquehanna raised Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.29.

Werner Enterprises Stock Up 1.4 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.13. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 59.20 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.27%. Research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.82%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the third quarter valued at approximately $485,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the third quarter valued at approximately $630,000. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 4.8% in the third quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 362,786 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,000,000 after buying an additional 16,637 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 31.1% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 84,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,245,000 after buying an additional 19,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 19.8% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 98,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,803,000 after purchasing an additional 16,280 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently 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.