WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) Short Interest Up 29.4% in February

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,855,187 shares, an increase of 29.4% from the February 12th total of 1,433,499 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 521,247 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 521,247 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at WESCO International

In other news, EVP Diane Lazzaris sold 17,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $5,274,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,864,825. This represents a 37.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 20,114 shares of company stock valued at $6,128,353 in the last three months. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WESCO International

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of WESCO International by 172.5% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,742 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,272,000 after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in WESCO International by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 127,991 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,070,000 after purchasing an additional 5,961 shares in the last quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE bought a new position in WESCO International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,215,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new stake in WESCO International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in WESCO International by 112.7% during the 3rd quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 13,785 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,916,000 after buying an additional 7,303 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.75% of the company’s stock.

WESCO International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WCC traded down $1.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $256.08. The company had a trading volume of 614,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,364. WESCO International has a 12 month low of $125.21 and a 12 month high of $319.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $254.72.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The technology company reported $3.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.82 by ($0.42). WESCO International had a return on equity of 13.00% and a net margin of 2.72%.The firm had revenue of $6.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. WESCO International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.500-16.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that WESCO International will post 13.3 earnings per share for the current year.

WESCO International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from WESCO International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. WESCO International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WCC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered WESCO International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $316.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of WESCO International from $302.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $340.00 price target on WESCO International in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, WESCO International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.00.

WESCO International Company Profile

WESCO International, Inc is a leading global distributor of electrical, industrial, communications and utility products, serving a diverse customer base across maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and construction markets. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products ranging from power distribution and automation solutions to data communications, security systems and lighting controls. Through an extensive branch network, WESCO provides critical components and value‐added services that help organizations streamline operations and improve reliability in their facilities and infrastructure.

In addition to its broad product offering, WESCO delivers advanced supply chain management and logistics solutions designed to optimize inventory levels, reduce downtime and lower overall procurement costs.