NEW YORK, May 28, 2026, 09:08 EDT
Werner Enterprises traded at $40.92 before the Nasdaq opened Thursday, holding close to its 52-week high of $41.49. The truckload carrier finished Wednesday at $40.92, up from $40.76 on Tuesday. That price gives the Omaha, Nebraska-based company a market cap around $2.45 billion.
The stock is now at the top of its latest range as investors watch to see if trucking names have gotten ahead of themselves. U.S. stock futures edged down before the bell after the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all closed Wednesday at fresh records. WTI crude futures gained 3% to $91.20 a barrel, a move freight investors watch.
Nasdaq’s normal hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, with pre-market before the open. Thursday isn’t a 2026 U.S. market holiday. Markets closed for Memorial Day in May, while Juneteenth is the next scheduled day off.
Werner shares still trade off the latest earnings numbers. Revenue for the first quarter hit $808.6 million, a 14% gain over last year, and operating income came in at $4.0 million after the company booked a loss for the same quarter last year. Operating margin moved up to 0.5%. On adjusted, non-GAAP numbers, Werner posted earnings of 2 cents per share. CEO Derek Leathers called out “positive momentum in our core business” and said freight could “tighten throughout the year.” Business Wire
Leathers told analysts on the earnings call that “market fundamentals are improving.” Baird’s Daniel Moore called the quarter “pretty solid” and asked management about rates, weather and fuel. Weather and fuel together cut about 5 cents a share from first-quarter earnings, according to management. Investing
Werner’s January buyout of FirstFleet figures heavily into the bull thesis, but the risk is there too. In its quarterly filing, Werner said FirstFleet brought in $107.9 million of revenue for the quarter. But Werner flagged the risk that it might not get all the expected benefits from the deal and warned that the higher leverage could tighten capital access. Werner also said fuel surcharges cover most, but not every, diesel price jump.
Dividend offers some support to the stock, but it’s not the big factor. Werner’s board set a quarterly cash payout at 14 cents per share, payable July 22 for shareholders on record by July 6. The company said it’s made a quarterly dividend payment every quarter since July 1987.
Trucking names were stronger in recent trading, which helped Werner. J.B. Hunt added roughly 1.2%, Knight-Swift climbed about 1.7%, and Schneider National was up close to 1.0%. The move was seen across the group, not just in one name.
Werner is set to appear next at the Wells Fargo Industrials & Materials Conference in Chicago on June 9 for a fireside chat. The company is expected to get questions on contract rates, how the FirstFleet integration is going, and if the dedicated-trucking pipeline remains steady.
But the bear case is clear. If spot freight rates drop, diesel stays expensive or FirstFleet savings are slower to show up, the recent run in the stock could leave little buffer for a letdown. Shares are trading near a top, and the company is still working to rebuild its margin.
