Vestcor Inc Buys 152,296 Shares of Werner Enterprises, Inc. $WERN

Vestcor Inc increased its stake in Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) by 384.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 191,861 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 152,296 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Werner Enterprises were worth $5,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Werner Enterprises by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 126,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,717,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 0.8% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 64,228 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,758,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 1.1% in the second quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 57,285 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Werner Enterprises by 1.1% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 57,011 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. 89.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Werner Enterprises Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Werner Enterprises stock opened at $31.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 1.95. Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.02 and a 52 week high of $38.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of -130.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.06.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.04). Werner Enterprises had a positive return on equity of 0.04% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The firm had revenue of $737.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.08 earnings per share. Werner Enterprises’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Werner Enterprises, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Werner Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Werner Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently -233.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on WERN shares. Susquehanna increased their price target on Werner Enterprises from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Werner Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $34.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Werner Enterprises from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Werner Enterprises presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $33.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Werner Enterprises news, COO Eric J. Downing sold 1,428 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total value of $49,980.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 57,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,007,740. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Werner Enterprises Profile

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.