WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC) Shares Purchased by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Free Report) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,333 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 19,470 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned about 0.10% of WesBanco worth $2,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Man Group plc boosted its holdings in WesBanco by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 29,165 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in WesBanco by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 492,167 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,015,000 after buying an additional 58,214 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in WesBanco by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 32,753 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,066,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in WesBanco by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 470,557 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,312,000 after buying an additional 120,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in WesBanco by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 48,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,582,000 after buying an additional 17,097 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.41% of the company's stock.

WesBanco Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of WSBC traded down $0.39 on Thursday, hitting $30.53. 645,987 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 442,240. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50 day moving average is $30.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.77. WesBanco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.56 and a 1 year high of $37.36.

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. WesBanco had a net margin of 15.89% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The business had revenue of $253.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $206.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WesBanco, Inc. will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current year.

WesBanco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSBC has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of WesBanco from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of WesBanco from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of WesBanco in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of WesBanco from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of WesBanco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.71.

WesBanco Profile

WesBanco, Inc operates as the bank holding company for WesBanco Bank, Inc that provides retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust, brokerage, mortgage banking, and insurance services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Community Banking, and Trust and Investment Services.