Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $34.65

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $34.65 and last traded at $34.65, with a volume of 247271 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered Werner Enterprises from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $49.00 price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.00.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.19.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $821.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $820.90 million. Werner Enterprises had a net margin of 3.42% and a return on equity of 8.17%. The business’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nuance Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 2,268,348 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $96,110,000 after acquiring an additional 812,563 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,420,141 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $272,021,000 after acquiring an additional 565,193 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Werner Enterprises by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,973,767 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $168,369,000 after buying an additional 282,210 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 962,645 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,495,000 after purchasing an additional 249,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Werner Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth $10,302,000. Institutional investors 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.