WESCO International (NYSE:WCC) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $265.00 and last traded at $266.0050, with a volume of 64123 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $258.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on WCC. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on WESCO International from $222.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of WESCO International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of WESCO International in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Stephens cut WESCO International from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $190.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, WESCO International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $248.89.

WESCO International Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $12.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.61 and its 200-day moving average is $201.69.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by $0.17. WESCO International had a net margin of 2.98% and a return on equity of 12.96%. The company had revenue of $6.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.58 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. WESCO International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.100-13.600 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that WESCO International, Inc. will post 13.3 EPS for the current year.

WESCO International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th were given a dividend of $0.4538 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. WESCO International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.20%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Matthew S. Kulasa sold 790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.18, for a total value of $200,012.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $840,557.60. This represents a 19.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Hemant Porwal sold 4,656 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.84, for a total value of $1,046,855.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,303,662.44. This trade represents a 19.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,482 shares of company stock worth $33,553,824. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WESCO International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WCC. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of WESCO International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,136,000. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its stake in shares of WESCO International by 125.5% in the second quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 25,140 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,656,000 after buying an additional 13,989 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in WESCO International during the second quarter worth approximately $227,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in WESCO International by 51.4% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,366 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,216,000 after acquiring an additional 5,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,200,000. Institutional investors own 93.75% 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).