Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Rating Cut to “Hold” at Robert W. Baird

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was downgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WERN. Stephens raised shares of Werner Enterprises to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Evercore raised shares of Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.85.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WERN opened at $29.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $36.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of -39.21 and a beta of 1.29. Werner Enterprises has a 1 year low of $23.06 and a 1 year high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.02). Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.18%. The firm had revenue of $813.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 69.2% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 335,406 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,397,000 after purchasing an additional 137,144 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 5.4% during the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 9,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Werner Enterprises during the second quarter worth about $232,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 24.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 40,054 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,747,000 after purchasing an additional 7,824 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays maintained an “equal weight” rating but reduced its price target from $40 to $38. The revised target still implies meaningful upside from recent trading levels, suggesting the analyst sees potential value despite near-term headwinds. Barclays price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Before the preliminary update, Zacks said Werner had factors that could support an earnings beat, while another report noted that the company was scheduled to release quarterly results. Those expectations have since been overtaken by the company’s profit warning and early third-quarter readout. Zacks earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Werner issued a third-quarter profit warning and preliminary adjusted EPS and revenue guidance that missed market expectations. The disappointing early results prompted a sharp decline in the stock and raise the risk of downward revisions to analyst estimates. Werner Enterprises issues Q3 profit warning Preliminary Q3 results
• Negative Sentiment: The early third-quarter readout missed expectations, confirming that earnings weakness—not simply broader market trading—is the key near-term driver of selling in WERN. Investors will focus on the company’s detailed quarterly report and outlook for evidence of when margins and freight demand may recover. MarketWatch preliminary Q3 readout

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.