Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $32.80 and last traded at $32.89, with a volume of 150231 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.07.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WERN. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Werner Enterprises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.29.

Werner Enterprises Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.28. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.27 and a beta of 0.84.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.15). Werner Enterprises had a return on equity of 2.27% and a net margin of 1.13%. Equities research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Werner Enterprises’s payout ratio is 101.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Werner Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 2,390.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 796.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,703 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Werner Enterprises by 43.1% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,071 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.