WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $184.67.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WCC shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of WESCO International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of WESCO International from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of WESCO International from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $202.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of WESCO International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of WESCO International from $203.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th.

WESCO International Stock Performance

NYSE:WCC opened at $154.01 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.23 and its 200-day moving average is $158.91. WESCO International has a 52-week low of $121.90 and a 52-week high of $195.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.48. The company has a market cap of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.37, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.06.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.86 by ($1.21). WESCO International had a net margin of 3.42% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The business had revenue of $5.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.13 earnings per share. WESCO International’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that WESCO International will post 14.19 earnings per share for the current year.

WESCO International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.4125 per share. This represents a $1.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is an increase from WESCO International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. WESCO International’s payout ratio is 12.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nelson John Squires III sold 3,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.00, for a total transaction of $663,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,333,150. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other WESCO International news, EVP James Cameron sold 5,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.39, for a total value of $836,999.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,253,922.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nelson John Squires III sold 3,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.00, for a total transaction of $663,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,333,150. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WESCO International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 55.8% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 23,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,065,000 after buying an additional 8,430 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 4.3% in the first quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 55,479 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,220,000 after buying an additional 2,304 shares during the period. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 29.5% in the second quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 82,766 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,864,000 after buying an additional 18,860 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 35.2% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,212 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 837 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC boosted its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 33.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 21,877 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,612,000 after buying an additional 5,424 shares during the period. 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).