Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WERN. Susquehanna upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.00.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WERN opened at $29.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 53.76 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $33.88 and its 200 day moving average is $36.45. Werner Enterprises has a fifty-two week low of $28.77 and a fifty-two week high of $42.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 3rd quarter worth about $485,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the third quarter worth about $630,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 19,944 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 16,280 shares during the period. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,408,000. 89.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.