WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $43.60 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate WesBanco “Hold” overall: Seven brokerages cover the stock—five recommend hold and two buy—with an average 12-month price target of $43.60.
• WesBanco reported quarterly earnings of $0.89 per share, slightly above the $0.88 consensus, while revenue of $272.74 million fell short of analysts’ $274.88 million estimate.
• The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.38 per share equates to an annualized dividend of $1.52 and a 3.9% yield.

WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.60.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of WesBanco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WesBanco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of WesBanco in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of WesBanco in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded WesBanco from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $42.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd.

WesBanco Stock Down 0.8%

WSBC stock opened at $38.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. WesBanco has a 1-year low of $29.75 and a 1-year high of $43.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $38.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.27.

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. WesBanco had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 23.70%. The company had revenue of $272.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $274.88 million. Equities analysts forecast that WesBanco will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WesBanco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio is 43.68%.

Insider Transactions at WesBanco

In other WesBanco news, Director Denise Knouse-Snyder sold 3,070 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.89, for a total value of $125,532.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,035 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $614,781.15. This represents a 16.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott Love sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.12, for a total value of $120,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,229 shares in the company, valued at $1,012,187.48. The trade was a 10.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WesBanco

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of WesBanco in the second quarter worth approximately $363,992,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in WesBanco by 1.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,451,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $188,013,000 after purchasing an additional 59,077 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in WesBanco during the second quarter valued at about $84,562,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in WesBanco during the second quarter valued at about $36,433,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its holdings in WesBanco by 0.7% during the first quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 928,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,033,000 after purchasing an additional 6,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.41% of the company's stock.

About WesBanco

WesBanco, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia. Founded in 1870, the company operates through WesBanco Bank and affiliated businesses, providing retail and commercial banking, mortgage lending, trust and investment management, and insurance services. Its banking products include deposit accounts, consumer and business loans, and services for managing payments and cash flow. The company also offers wealth management and other financial services to individuals, businesses, and institutions.

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