WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

WesBanco, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $31.55, but opened at $32.94. WesBanco shares last traded at $32.14, with a volume of 34,936 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSBC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of WesBanco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson raised their price target on WesBanco from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of WesBanco in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised WesBanco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Raymond James raised WesBanco from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $40.83.

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WesBanco Stock Down 2.6 %

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $33.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.84.

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that WesBanco, Inc. will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WesBanco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. WesBanco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WesBanco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WesBanco by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,710,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $218,361,000 after acquiring an additional 705,483 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of WesBanco in the third quarter valued at approximately $116,114,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in WesBanco by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,934,453 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,313,000 after purchasing an additional 35,030 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its holdings in WesBanco by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,777,002 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $57,824,000 after purchasing an additional 379,386 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in WesBanco by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,537,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $50,022,000 after purchasing an additional 116,796 shares during the period. 61.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.