Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $40.55 and last traded at $40.40, with a volume of 561521 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $39.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WERN shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Werner Enterprises from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Werner Enterprises from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $35.15.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -272.80, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.46.

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

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is -373.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 289.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in 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 increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

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.