WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Short Interest Update

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,360,000 shares, a decrease of 24.4% from the March 15th total of 1,800,000 shares. Currently, 2.9% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 808,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp reduced their target price on WESCO International from $245.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of WESCO International from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of WESCO International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $219.43.

WESCO International Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of WCC traded up $6.98 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $161.17. 689,705 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 769,911. WESCO International has a 52 week low of $125.21 and a 52 week high of $216.17. The company has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.83. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The technology company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.23 by ($0.07). WESCO International had a net margin of 3.29% and a return on equity of 13.63%. On average, equities analysts forecast that WESCO International will post 13.3 EPS for the current year.

WESCO International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.4538 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. This is a positive change from WESCO International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. WESCO International's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.85%.

Institutional Trading of WESCO International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCC. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $592,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in WESCO International by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in WESCO International during the fourth quarter valued at about $278,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in WESCO International by 12,056.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 11,670 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,112,000 after purchasing an additional 11,574 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of WESCO International by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 195,731 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,419,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.76% of the company's stock.

About WESCO International

WESCO International, Inc provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS).