Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Stock Price

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $55.00 to $52.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Morgan Stanley‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 86.37% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WERN. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $32.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Werner Enterprises from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Werner Enterprises from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Werner Enterprises in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Werner Enterprises from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.86.

Werner Enterprises Trading Down 5.0%

WERN stock traded down $1.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,224,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,091,163. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of -36.72 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.02 and a 200-day moving average of $36.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Werner Enterprises has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $47.49.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. Werner Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.18%. The firm had revenue of $825.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $956.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.03) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Werner Enterprises will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Werner Enterprises

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC grew its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 3.9% during the third quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 99,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,732 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Werner Enterprises by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 18,664 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $634,000 after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in Werner Enterprises by 69.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 335,406 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,397,000 after acquiring an additional 137,144 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 9,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Werner Enterprises by 185.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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: Werner reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.16, matching expectations and improving from a $0.03 loss in the prior-year period. Revenue increased 23.2% year over year, supported by improved fleet efficiency. Werner Enterprises Swings To Q3 Profit; Revenue Rises 23%
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fourth-quarter one-way revenue per total mile to rise approximately 10% to 13% and reduced its 2026 net capital-expenditure outlook to $190 million–$205 million, potentially supporting free cash flow. Werner Q4 Outlook and CapEx Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on Werner, indicating that at least one major analyst sees longer-term upside despite near-term freight-market challenges. Morgan Stanley Remains a Buy on Werner Enterprises
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue of $825.3 million fell well short of the $956.6 million consensus estimate, even though it grew from the prior year. The company also reported a negative net margin, highlighting continued profitability pressure despite the return to positive EPS. Werner Enterprises Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target from $40 to $36 and assigned a Hold rating, while Wells Fargo cut its target from $35 to $31 and maintained Equal Weight. The reductions suggest analysts remain cautious about the pace and durability of the recovery. Stifel Nicolaus Werner Analyst Rating

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.