WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $39.17.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of WesBanco in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James upgraded shares of WesBanco from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WesBanco from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of WesBanco from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday.

WesBanco Price Performance

WSBC stock opened at $35.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $33.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.27. WesBanco has a 12-month low of $25.56 and a 12-month high of $37.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.17. WesBanco had a net margin of 15.89% and a return on equity of 6.30%. As a group, equities analysts predict that WesBanco will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

WesBanco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.23%. This is a positive change from WesBanco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. WesBanco’s payout ratio is presently 66.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael L. Perkins sold 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.87, for a total transaction of $39,228.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,632,508.79. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WesBanco

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of WesBanco by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,419,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,268,000 after buying an additional 32,879 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of WesBanco in the third quarter worth approximately $1,148,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of WesBanco by 25.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 695,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,712,000 after buying an additional 142,597 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of WesBanco in the third quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of WesBanco by 3.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.41% of the company’s stock.

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.