WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $215.88.

WCC has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WESCO International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Baird R W upgraded shares of WESCO International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Stephens raised their price target on WESCO International from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on WESCO International from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on WESCO International from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at WESCO International

In related news, CFO David S. Schulz sold 14,938 shares of WESCO International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.55, for a total transaction of $3,085,443.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 104,471 shares in the company, valued at $21,578,485.05. The trade was a 12.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Clayton Geary sold 2,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.73, for a total value of $582,010.17. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,213,510.99. The trade was a 7.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,767 shares of company stock valued at $5,567,454. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of WESCO International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in shares of WESCO International by 71.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 166 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in WESCO International during the third quarter worth about $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 633 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of WESCO International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $152,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in WESCO International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $221,000. 93.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WESCO International Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:WCC opened at $180.33 on Friday. WESCO International has a 52 week low of $132.37 and a 52 week high of $216.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $194.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The technology company reported $3.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $5.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. WESCO International had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 13.19%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.49 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that WESCO International will post 12.3 EPS for the current year.

WESCO International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.4125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. WESCO International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.21%.

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).