WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• WesBanco, Inc. has received an average consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from six analysts, including two holds, three buys, and one strong buy, with a twelve-month target price of $38.83.
• In addition, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 4.7%, scheduled for payment on October 1st.
• WesBanco's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $0.91, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.87, with total revenues of $260.73 million, slightly below the forecasted $261.14 million.

Shares of WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $38.8333.

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of WesBanco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th.

WesBanco Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of WesBanco stock traded up $1.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $32.32. 821,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 382,115. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.93. WesBanco has a 1-year low of $26.42 and a 1-year high of $37.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47 and a beta of 0.85.

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. WesBanco had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The company had revenue of $260.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $261.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that WesBanco will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WesBanco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio is presently 89.16%.

Insider Activity

In other WesBanco news, Director Todd Clossin acquired 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.00 per share, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,000. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph R. Robinson acquired 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.00 per share, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $200,000. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 49,600 shares of company stock valued at $1,240,000. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new position in WesBanco during the second quarter worth $26,000. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of WesBanco in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 132.5% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 895 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WesBanco in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of WesBanco in the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.41% of the company's stock.

WesBanco Company 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.