HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in WESCO International, Inc. $WCC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors reduced its WESCO International stake by 22.3% in the second quarter, selling 8,161 shares and retaining 28,445 shares valued at approximately $9.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.75% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $394.17, although some firms downgraded the stock to “Hold.”
• WESCO reported quarterly EPS of $4.57, beating estimates by $0.59, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $6.67 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a 0.6% yield.

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC - Free Report) by 22.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,445 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 8,161 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of WESCO International worth $9,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WCC. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in WESCO International by 8.4% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 404,730 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $110,742,000 after purchasing an additional 31,210 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of WESCO International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 864,237 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $211,473,000 after buying an additional 14,739 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WESCO International in the second quarter valued at $3,094,634,000. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of WESCO International by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 186,012 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $45,506,000 after buying an additional 79,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of WESCO International by 103.3% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 65,146 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $22,503,000 after buying an additional 33,109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered WESCO International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WESCO International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of WESCO International from $376.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of WESCO International in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of WESCO International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $394.17.

Insider Transactions at WESCO International

In related news, Director Laura K. Thompson sold 270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.45, for a total transaction of $99,481.50. Following the sale, the director owned 10,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,949,784. This represents a 2.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Akash Khurana sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.78, for a total transaction of $1,247,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 27,404 shares in the company, valued at $10,051,239.12. This represents a 11.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

WESCO International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WCC opened at $344.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.77 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.53. WESCO International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $385.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 2.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $342.28 and a 200-day moving average of $327.01.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The technology company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.59. WESCO International had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 2.84%.The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.83 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. WESCO International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.000-17.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that WESCO International, Inc. will post 16.89 earnings per share for the current year.

WESCO International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. WESCO International's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.82%.

About WESCO International

WESCO International, Inc is a business-to-business distributor and supply chain solutions provider serving the electrical, communications, security, utility and broadband industries. The company supplies products such as electrical and electronic components, wire and cable, lighting, automation equipment, network infrastructure, security systems, safety products and utility equipment.

Through its distribution operations and supply chain services, WESCO helps commercial, industrial, institutional, utility and government customers manage procurement, inventory, logistics and other aspects of their operations.

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