WesBanco (WSBC) Competitors

WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC) and Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, media sentiment, community ranking, earnings, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and risk.

Does the media refer more to WSBC or ZION?

In the previous week, Zions Bancorporation, National Association had 8 more articles in the media than WesBanco. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Zions Bancorporation, National Association and 6 mentions for WesBanco. Zions Bancorporation, National Association's average media sentiment score of 0.78 beat WesBanco's score of 0.69 indicating that Zions Bancorporation, National Association is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
WesBanco	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	6 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community favor WSBC or ZION?

Zions Bancorporation, National Association received 474 more outperform votes than WesBanco when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 52.74% of users gave Zions Bancorporation, National Association an outperform vote while only 51.25% of users gave WesBanco an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
WesBanco	Outperform Votes 267 51.25%	Underperform Votes 254 48.75%
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	Outperform Votes 741 52.74%	Underperform Votes 664 47.26%

Is WSBC or ZION a better dividend stock?

WesBanco pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association pays an annual dividend of $1.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. WesBanco pays out 70.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Zions Bancorporation, National Association pays out 39.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WesBanco has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Zions Bancorporation, National Association has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. WesBanco is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has better valuation and earnings, WSBC or ZION?

Zions Bancorporation, National Association has higher revenue and earnings than WesBanco. Zions Bancorporation, National Association is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than WesBanco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
WesBanco	$831.96M	2.57	$159.03M	$2.09	15.28
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	$4.62B	1.85	$680M	$4.39	13.22

Is WSBC or ZION more profitable?

WesBanco has a net margin of 14.79% compared to Zions Bancorporation, National Association's net margin of 14.09%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association's return on equity of 13.89% beat WesBanco's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WesBanco	14.79%	5.75%	0.78%
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	14.09%	13.89%	0.88%

Which has more risk and volatility, WSBC or ZION?

WesBanco has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals believe in WSBC or ZION?

61.4% of WesBanco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.8% of Zions Bancorporation, National Association shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.4% of WesBanco shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Zions Bancorporation, National Association shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts recommend WSBC or ZION?

WesBanco presently has a consensus price target of $37.83, suggesting a potential upside of 18.45%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a consensus price target of $58.25, suggesting a potential upside of 0.36%. Given WesBanco's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe WesBanco is more favorable than Zions Bancorporation, National Association.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WesBanco	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	1 Sell rating(s)	15 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.06

Summary

Zions Bancorporation, National Association beats WesBanco on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.