WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $187.00.

WCC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on WESCO International from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com raised WESCO International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on WESCO International from $176.00 to $172.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 15th.

WESCO International Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:WCC traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $175.87. 562,478 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 708,889. WESCO International has a 12-month low of $122.30 and a 12-month high of $195.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $163.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 2.07.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.30 billion. WESCO International had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 15.10%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.75 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that WESCO International will post 14.17 earnings per share for the current year.

WESCO International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.4125 dividend. This represents a $1.65 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is an increase from WESCO International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. WESCO International's payout ratio is presently 13.74%.

Insider Activity at WESCO International

In other news, EVP James Cameron sold 5,352 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.39, for a total value of $836,999.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 33,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,253,922.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP James Cameron sold 5,352 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.39, for a total transaction of $836,999.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 33,595 shares in the company, valued at $5,253,922.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Equity Investors Vii L. Green sold 1,750,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $302,785,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,134,683 shares in the company, valued at $369,342,852.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of WESCO International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCC. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of WESCO International in the 4th quarter worth $2,256,000. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in WESCO International by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 34,221 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,922,000 after acquiring an additional 4,733 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its position in WESCO International by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 54,985 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $7,908,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in WESCO International by 119.7% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 15,871 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 8,647 shares during the period. Finally, Hosking Partners LLP raised its stake in WESCO International by 20.1% in the third quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 40,424 shares of the technology company's stock worth $5,814,000 after buying an additional 6,752 shares in the last quarter. 93.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About WESCO International

WESCO International, Inc provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS).