Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Price Target to $30.00

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its target price trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $32.00 to $30.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on WERN. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $34.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.14.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $36.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.41, a P/E/G ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.84. Werner Enterprises has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $42.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.50.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $745.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $765.24 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 1.48% and a return on equity of 3.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.68 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is currently 76.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Werner Enterprises in the 3rd quarter worth $485,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth about $630,000. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 362,786 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,000,000 after purchasing an additional 16,637 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 84,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,245,000 after purchasing an additional 19,944 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 98,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,803,000 after buying an additional 16,280 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.