Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $32.80 and last traded at $32.89, with a volume of 150231 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WERN shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.29.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.27 and a beta of 0.84. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $35.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.28.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 2.27% and a net margin of 1.13%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.82%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,168 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 20,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 53,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,922,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

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.