Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from Morgan Stanley

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price objective cut by Morgan Stanley from $55.00 to $52.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on WERN. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Werner Enterprises from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $43.00 to $32.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.14.

Werner Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WERN opened at $27.71 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.38 and a beta of 1.29. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 2.03% and a negative net margin of 0.56%. The firm had revenue of $825.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $956.55 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.03) earnings per share. Werner Enterprises’s quarterly revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Werner Enterprises will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 5th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 5th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently -73.68%.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Werner Enterprises by 185.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Werner Enterprises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $128,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.

More Werner Enterprises News

Here are the key news stories impacting Werner Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management said accelerated trucking-capacity reductions could support a multi-year freight upcycle. Werner also indicated that margins may rebound as cost pressures ease, offering a potential catalyst if industry pricing improves. Werner’s Leathers expects accelerated capacity reductions Werner Enterprises Signals Margin Rebound Amid Cost Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects upside for Werner’s shares, providing a more constructive view amid the generally cautious analyst reaction. JPMorgan analyst expects Werner stock to rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers was elected chairman of the American Trucking Associations for a one-year term. The appointment raises Werner’s industry profile but is not expected to have an immediate financial effect. Derek Leathers elected ATA chairman
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were mixed: adjusted EPS of $0.16 matched expectations, but revenue of approximately $825.3 million fell well short of the roughly $956.6 million consensus estimate. The revenue miss, combined with weak profitability, is the primary reason investors remain cautious. How Should Investors Approach Werner Stock Post Q3 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets, including Stifel, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Barclays. Barclays cut its target to $32 and maintained an equal-weight rating, while Citigroup set a $32 neutral target. Zacks Research also downgraded WERN from hold to strong sell, intensifying selling pressure. Stifel lowers Werner expectations Citigroup cuts Werner target Wells Fargo lowers Werner expectations Morgan Stanley lowers Werner expectations Zacks downgrades Werner

Werner Enterprises Company Profile

Werner Enterprises, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner, the company provides freight transportation and supply chain services to customers across North America.

The company’s operations include truckload transportation, dedicated transportation, and regional truckload services. Werner also provides logistics services, including freight brokerage, intermodal transportation, cross-border transportation, and supply chain management solutions.