WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Short Interest Up 22.9% in February

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,450,000 shares, a growth of 22.9% from the January 31st total of 1,180,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 671,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of WESCO International from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of WESCO International from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of WESCO International from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of WESCO International from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of WESCO International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $218.88.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On WESCO International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of WESCO International by 39.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 235 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of WESCO International by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 267 shares of the technology company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of WESCO International by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company's stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International in the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International in the fourth quarter worth about $180,000. Institutional investors own 93.76% of the company's stock.

WESCO International Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of WCC stock traded down $2.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $164.96. 830,358 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 705,897. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 2.00. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $185.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.44. WESCO International has a twelve month low of $143.06 and a twelve month high of $216.17.

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

WESCO International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.4538 dividend. This is a boost from WESCO International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. WESCO International's payout ratio is presently 13.85%.

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).