Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price Down 4.6% on Analyst Downgrade

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)’s stock price fell 4.6% on Wednesday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $35.00 to $31.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Werner Enterprises traded as low as $27.95 and last traded at $28.0210. Approximately 162,971 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,085,623 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.38.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Evercore raised Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.50.

Werner Enterprises News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Werner Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Werner reported adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share, matching Wall Street expectations and improving from a $0.03-per-share loss a year earlier. Revenue increased 23.2% year over year. Werner Enterprises third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to rise approximately 10% to 13%, suggesting improving freight pricing and demand. The company also reduced planned 2026 net capital expenditures to $190 million-$205 million, which could support cash flow. Werner fourth-quarter outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating, indicating that at least one major analyst continues to see recovery potential in WERN. Morgan Stanley rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo kept an Equal Weight rating but lowered its price target from $35 to $31. The new target still implies potential upside, but the reduction signals more limited near-term confidence. Wells Fargo price target change
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $825.3 million came in well below the $956.6 million consensus estimate. Although profitability improved, the top-line shortfall raises concerns about freight volumes and the pace of the broader trucking recovery.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 185.4% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth $128,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 4.6%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.13. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16. The company had revenue of $825.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $956.55 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.03) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently -73.68%.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner, the company provides freight transportation and supply chain services to customers across North America.

The company’s operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and regional truckload services. Werner also provides logistics services, including freight brokerage, intermodal transportation, cross-border transportation, and supply chain management solutions.