Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Reduce" by the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.57.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $33.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock traded down $0.56 on Wednesday, reaching $38.68. The company had a trading volume of 67,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 746,726. The firm has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.75, a P/E/G ratio of 33.51 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $37.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.17. Werner Enterprises has a 1 year low of $33.12 and a 1 year high of $43.26.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $745.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $765.24 million. Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 3.58% and a net margin of 1.48%. Werner Enterprises's revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Werner Enterprises's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 390.1% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 740 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 145.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 801 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.