Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Wells Fargo & Company

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $31.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Susquehanna raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $43.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.14.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $27.71 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -89.38 and a beta of 1.29. Werner Enterprises has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $47.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. The business had revenue of $825.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $956.55 million. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 2.03% and a negative net margin of 0.56%. The business’s revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.03) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 5th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 5th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently -73.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 185.4% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the second quarter valued at about $45,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Werner Enterprises during the second quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 40.5% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,266 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Werner Enterprises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management said accelerated trucking-capacity reductions could support a multi-year freight upcycle. Werner also indicated that margins may rebound as cost pressures ease, offering a potential catalyst if industry pricing improves. Werner’s Leathers expects accelerated capacity reductions Werner Enterprises Signals Margin Rebound Amid Cost Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects upside for Werner’s shares, providing a more constructive view amid the generally cautious analyst reaction. JPMorgan analyst expects Werner stock to rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers was elected chairman of the American Trucking Associations for a one-year term. The appointment raises Werner’s industry profile but is not expected to have an immediate financial effect. Derek Leathers elected ATA chairman
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were mixed: adjusted EPS of $0.16 matched expectations, but revenue of approximately $825.3 million fell well short of the roughly $956.6 million consensus estimate. The revenue miss, combined with weak profitability, is the primary reason investors remain cautious. How Should Investors Approach Werner Stock Post Q3 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets, including Stifel, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Barclays. Barclays cut its target to $32 and maintained an equal-weight rating, while Citigroup set a $32 neutral target. Zacks Research also downgraded WERN from hold to strong sell, intensifying selling pressure. Stifel lowers Werner expectations Citigroup cuts Werner target Wells Fargo lowers Werner expectations Morgan Stanley lowers Werner expectations Zacks downgrades Werner

About Werner Enterprises

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.