Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $47.49 and last traded at $47.29, with a volume of 1514886 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WERN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.85.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 2.1%

The firm has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -315.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $42.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.28% and a positive return on equity of 0.66%. The firm had revenue of $730.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.50 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.12) EPS. Werner Enterprises’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -373.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 1,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter worth about $259,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Werner Enterprises

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.