Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Sunday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on WERN. 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 report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $33.14.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WERN opened at $33.74 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.74 and a 200-day moving average of $29.10. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $38.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of -140.58, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.08.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $737.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.51 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 0.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Werner Enterprises by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 30,464 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 57.8% in the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,717,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 64,228 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,758,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Werner Enterprises

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.