Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Upgraded by Robert W. Baird to Outperform Rating

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $43.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 17.33% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Werner Enterprises from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens raised Werner Enterprises to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Werner Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.85.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of WERN opened at $36.65 on Thursday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $23.06 and a fifty-two week high of $47.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.26.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.02). Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.17%. The company had revenue of $813.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.12 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 24.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Werner Enterprises

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Werner Enterprises by 33.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 21,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 5,473 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,697 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,598 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 0.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,717,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 24.5% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 76,767 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after acquiring an additional 15,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Werner Enterprises by 159.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 226,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,186,000 after acquiring an additional 138,995 shares in the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Werner Enterprises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Werner reported second-quarter revenue growth of 24% year over year, supported by expansion in its Truckload Transportation Services segment. Management said the Dedicated business is growing and that the FirstFleet acquisition is contributing to margin improvement. Werner Enterprises Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects Dedicated revenue per truck per week to increase approximately 3% to 5% and said the freight market may be entering the “early innings” of carrier exits. Reduced industry capacity could support pricing and utilization if the trend continues. Werner CEO: Still in early innings of carrier exits
• Neutral Sentiment: Werner raised its 2026 net capital expenditure outlook to $215 million-$250 million, reflecting continued investment in fleet and operations. The spending could support long-term growth but may limit near-term free cash flow. Werner outlines Dedicated revenue growth and raises net CapEx
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $0.22 narrowly missed the $0.24 consensus estimate. Despite higher revenue, rising costs sharply pressured operating and net income, keeping investors focused on whether margin improvements can persist. Werner Enterprises Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $37 to $39 but maintained an underweight rating, while TD Cowen cut its target from $43 to $41 and kept a hold rating. The mixed-to-cautious analyst stance is adding pressure to the stock. Analyst price-target coverage

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.