KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,400 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,987,187 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $71,380,000 after buying an additional 234,811 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Werner Enterprises by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,660,846 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $59,010,000 after purchasing an additional 143,953 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,791,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 672.8% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 75,632 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,717,000 after purchasing an additional 65,845 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in Werner Enterprises by 12.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 435,447 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $16,804,000 after acquiring an additional 49,568 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of WERN traded up $1.64 on Wednesday, hitting $28.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,700,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 788,923. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.61. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.50 and a fifty-two week high of $42.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 52.35 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.27%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WERN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Werner Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.40.

Werner Enterprises 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.