Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Common Stock
Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market SM tier of the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “WERN”. As of February 9, 2024, our common stock was held by 425 stockholders of record. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.
Dividend Policy
We have paid cash dividends on our common stock following each fiscal quarter since the first payment in July 1987. Our current quarterly dividend rate is $0.14 per common share. We currently intend to continue paying a regular quarterly dividend. We do not currently anticipate any restrictions on our future ability to pay such dividends. However, we cannot give any assurance that dividends will be paid in the future or of the amount of any such quarterly or special dividends because they are dependent on our earnings, financial condition, and other factors.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
For information on our equity compensation plans, please refer to Item 12 of Part III of this Form 10-K.
14
Table of Contents
Performance Graph
Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Return
The following graph is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and the report shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any prior or subsequent filing by us under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act except to the extent we specifically request that such information be incorporated by reference or treated as soliciting material.
12/31/2018 12/31/2019 12/31/2020 12/31/2021 12/31/2022 12/31/2023
Werner Enterprises, Inc. (WERN) $ 100 $ 140 $ 153 $ 187 $ 160 $ 171
Standard & Poor’s 500 $ 100 $ 131 $ 156 $ 200 $ 164 $ 207
2022 Peer Group $ 100 $ 134 $ 176 $ 285 $ 235 $ 307
2023 Peer Group $ 100 $ 134 $ 176 $ 285 $ 234 $ 307
Assuming the investment of $100 on December 31, 2018, and reinvestment of all dividends, the graph above compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock for the last five fiscal years with the cumulative total return of Standard & Poor’s 500 Market Index and our Peer Groups over the same period. In 2023, we selected a new Peer Group in order to more closely align with our benchmarking Peer Group. Our Peer Group includes companies similar to us in the transportation industry and has the following companies: ArcBest; Covenant Logistics Group; Daseke; Forward Air; Heartland Express; Hub Group; JB Hunt; Knight-Swift Transportation; Landstar System; Marten Transport; Old Dominion Freight Line; Saia; and Schneider National. We added Daseke, Inc. to our 2023 Peer Group and removed US Xpress Enterprises, Inc. (acquired by Knight-Swift Transportation in 2023) and Yellow Corporation (ceased operations in 2023) from our 2023 and 2022 Peer Groups. Our stock price was $42.37 as of December 29, 2023 (the last business day of fiscal year 2023). This price was used for purposes of calculating the total return on our common stock for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
On November 9, 2021, our Board of Directors approved and announced a new stock repurchase program under which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to 6,000,000 shares of its common stock. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had purchased 3,688,190 shares pursuant to this authorization and had 2,311,810 shares remaining available for repurchase. The Company may purchase shares from time to time depending on market, economic and other factors. The authorization will continue unless withdrawn by the Board of Directors.
15
Table of Contents
No shares of common stock were repurchased during fourth quarter 2023 by either the Company or any “affiliated purchaser,” as defined by Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act.
ITEM 6. RESERVED