CenterBook Partners LP Acquires Shares of 26,289 WesBanco, Inc. $WSBC
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyCenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 26,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $874,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSBC. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in WesBanco by 52.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 59,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,858,000 after purchasing an additional 20,585 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in WesBanco by 56.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 51,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 18,347 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in WesBanco by 1,553.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in WesBanco by 179.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,543,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,779,000 after purchasing an additional 991,584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in WesBanco by 60.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 216,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,704,000 after purchasing an additional 81,319 shares in the last quarter. 61.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
WesBanco Trading Up 0.5%
Shares of WSBC opened at $35.77 on Thursday. WesBanco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.18 and a 52-week high of $38.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $34.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.56. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.68.
WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $257.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.52 million. WesBanco had a net margin of 21.12% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. Research analysts forecast that WesBanco, Inc. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
WesBanco Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. WesBanco’s payout ratio is presently 49.03%.
WesBanco declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 20th that permits the company to buyback 4,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WSBC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on shares of WesBanco in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of WesBanco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of WesBanco from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of WesBanco in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of WesBanco from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.50.
View Our Latest Report on WesBanco
Insider Activity
In other news, Director Joseph R. Robinson purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $34.54 per share, with a total value of $34,540.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,068 shares in the company, valued at $658,608.72. The trade was a 5.53% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Louis Michael Altman purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.72 per share, for a total transaction of $101,160.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 33,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,118,290.08. The trade was a 9.95% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 7,940 shares of company stock valued at $267,299. 2.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About WesBanco
WesBanco, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia, offering a full range of community banking services through its principal subsidiary, WesBanco Bank, Inc The company serves individual consumers, small‐ to mid‐sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities with a relationship‐driven approach and an emphasis on local decision‐making. Through its diversified platform, WesBanco provides core banking functions such as deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage banking, treasury management and electronic banking services.
In addition to traditional banking products, WesBanco offers specialized services including trust and wealth management, investment advisory and insurance solutions.
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