Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Stephens

by · The Cerbat Gem

Stephens upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN – Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.15.

View Our Latest Analysis on Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of WERN stock opened at $43.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a PE ratio of -287.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.06 and a 12-month high of $45.27.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $812.50 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 0.28%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.12) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -373.33%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America’s largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner’s core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.

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