Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $28.62 and last traded at $29.01, with a volume of 29586 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $29.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $27.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $38.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.73.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business has a fifty day moving average of $32.78 and a 200 day moving average of $36.07. The company has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.69 and a beta of 0.85.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter valued at $35,257,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,634,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,987,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $71,380,000 after acquiring an additional 234,811 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 145.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 210,389 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,557,000 after purchasing an additional 124,574 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Werner Enterprises

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.