Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $29.17 and last traded at $29.23, with a volume of 331654 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $30.24.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WERN shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “negative” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Werner Enterprises currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.00.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $33.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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, analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.82%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 126,453 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,542,000 after purchasing an additional 16,366 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 70.5% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 55,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 23,120 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 224,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,071,000 after acquiring an additional 96,500 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 379,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,639,000 after acquiring an additional 105,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shay Capital LLC bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $323,000. 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.