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

Key Points

• WesBanco, Inc. has received a **consensus rating of "Moderate Buy"** from seven brokerages, with a one-year price target averaging **$38.83**.
• Insider activity remains robust, with both the CFO and CEO purchasing **4,000 shares each** at $25.00 per share on September 17, totaling a **$100,000 investment** each.
• The company recently announced a **quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share**, yielding **4.4%**, and has a dividend payout ratio of **89.16%**.

WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.8333.

WSBC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded WesBanco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of WesBanco in a research note on Saturday, September 27th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO K Weiss Daniel bought 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.00 per share, for a total transaction of $100,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $100,000. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey H. Jackson bought 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $25.00 per share, with a total value of $100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,000. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 49,600 shares of company stock worth $1,240,000. 2.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WesBanco

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 49,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,553,000 after buying an additional 1,370 shares in the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 1,002.3% during the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,951 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 108.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 150,637 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,765,000 after buying an additional 78,214 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 29.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 42,849 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,355,000 after buying an additional 9,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 17,352 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 3,970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.41% of the company's stock.

WesBanco Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSBC opened at $33.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.63 and a 200-day moving average of $31.12. The company has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08 and a beta of 0.85. WesBanco has a 12 month low of $26.42 and a 12 month high of $37.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

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

WesBanco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio is presently 89.16%.

About WesBanco

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.

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