Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $26.00 to $29.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective suggests a potential downside of 12.07% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on WERN. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Werner Enterprises from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $20.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $30.21.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WERN traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $32.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 186,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 762,372. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 80.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.59. Werner Enterprises has a 52 week low of $23.02 and a 52 week high of $38.60.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.18). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.85%.The firm had revenue of $712.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $763.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.15 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 289.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 306.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 413.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,764 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

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.