Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $2.79 Million in Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 77,696 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $2,791,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.13% of Werner Enterprises at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth approximately $485,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth $630,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 31.1% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 84,085 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,245,000 after purchasing an additional 19,944 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 19.8% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 98,550 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,803,000 after purchasing an additional 16,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth about $1,408,000. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WERN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Werner Enterprises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced 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 equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.73.

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Werner Enterprises Stock Up 2.5 %

NASDAQ:WERN traded up $0.74 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $30.08. The stock had a trading volume of 925,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 766,088. The company has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a PE ratio of 54.69 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.07. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.62 and a 1-year high of $42.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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 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%. Analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises's payout ratio is 101.82%.

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.