Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $47.00 to $55.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $39.15.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 0.0%

WERN traded up $0.01 during trading on Monday, hitting $43.00. 32,264 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,135,404. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -287.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.13 and a 200 day moving average of $34.91. Werner Enterprises has a 12-month low of $23.06 and a 12-month high of $45.27.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $812.50 million. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.12) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is currently -373.33%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 41.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 86.9% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA purchased a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $217,000. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc, founded in 1956 by Clarence L. “Chris” Werner, is a leading transportation and logistics provider based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company began as a one‐truck operation and has since grown into one of North America’s largest carriers, offering an array of services to support diverse supply chains.

Werner’s core business activities include full truckload dry van services, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal transport and brokerage solutions. The company also provides value-added services such as warehousing, freight management and fleet maintenance through its network of terminals and service centers.