WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC) Shares Break Above 50 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• WesBanco shares rose above their 50-day moving average, trading as high as $39.21 compared with the $38.87 average, signaling improved short-term momentum.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and a $43.60 target price, although individual ratings range from “Buy” to “Sell.”
• WesBanco slightly exceeded quarterly EPS expectations with $0.89 versus $0.88, while maintaining a quarterly dividend of $0.38, equivalent to a 3.9% annualized yield.

WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $38.87 and traded as high as $39.21. WesBanco shares last traded at $38.90, with a volume of 500,767 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WSBC shares. DA Davidson set a $46.00 target price on WesBanco in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of WesBanco in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of WesBanco from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $42.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WesBanco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of WesBanco in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WesBanco presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.60.

WesBanco Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.69. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.07. 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 (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. WesBanco had a net margin of 23.70% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $272.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $274.88 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that WesBanco, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WesBanco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.68%.

Insider Activity

In other WesBanco news, Director Denise H. Knouse-Snyder sold 3,070 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.89, for a total value of $125,532.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $614,781.15. This represents a 16.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert H. Friend sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.06, for a total transaction of $84,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at $730,203.66. This trade represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 11,070 shares of company stock worth $462,012 over the last three months. 2.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WesBanco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBC. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in WesBanco during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of WesBanco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in WesBanco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,572 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,546 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 714 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.41% of the company's stock.

About WesBanco

WesBanco, Inc NASDAQ: WSBC is a regional financial services holding company headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia. Through its principal subsidiary, WesBanco Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

Its offerings include consumer and commercial deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, business loans, personal and corporate credit services, mortgage banking and other traditional banking products.

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