Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its target price raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $30.00 to $35.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $33.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Susquehanna upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Werner Enterprises in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.50.

Werner Enterprises Stock Down 1.1 %

WERN stock opened at $37.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 50.85, a P/E/G ratio of 16.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Werner Enterprises has a twelve month low of $33.12 and a twelve month high of $42.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $37.77 and its 200-day moving average is $37.58.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.06). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.48% and a return on equity of 3.58%. The company had revenue of $745.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $765.24 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Werner Enterprises’s revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 0.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 145.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 801 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 2,390.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 43.1% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,071 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce in the United States, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Truckload Transportation Services and Werner Logistics.