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

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.07.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WERN shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $28.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $29.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 4.5 %

WERN opened at $27.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 50.09 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.52. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $26.50 and a one year high of $42.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.88.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued 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 2.03%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 69.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 796.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,703 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,431 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

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.