WesBanco Inc, known by the ticker symbol WSBC,  is a mid-cap WV regional bank, operating in the financial services business sector. This is my first report on WSBC for this Viital portfolio or any of my previous six dog of the week portfolios.

WesBanco Inc is a bank holding company that offers a full range of financial services, including retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust services, brokerage services, mortgage banking, and insurance. It was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The company has two reportable segments: community banking and trust and investment services. WesBanco operates one commercial bank, WesBanco Bank, which runs scores of branches, has a market service area that primarily spans the Rust Belt region of the United States. 

Commercial real estate accounts for nearly half of the bank's loan portfolio. The bank has historically grown through both organic growth and acquisitions. The bank's primary component of net revenue is interest income.

As of December 31, 2020, it operated 233 branches and 226 ATMs in West Virginia, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, southern Indiana, and Maryland, as well as six loan production offices in West Virginia, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and Maryland. 

Three key data points gauge any dividend equity or fund such as WesBanco Inc (WSBC): (1) Price (2) Dividends (3) Returns.

Those three basic keys best tell whether any company has made, is making, and will make money. 

WSBC Price

WesBanco's price per share was $36.02 as of yesterday's market close. One year ago its price was $33.94. Therefore WesBanco's share price increased $2.08 or 6% in the past year.

If WesBanco's stock trades in the range of $28.00 to $40.00 this next year, its recent $36.02 share price might rise by $1.98 to reach $38.00 by March 3, 2023. This estimate is  $0.02 below the median 1 year price targets from seven analysts tracking WSBC for brokerages.

WSBC Dividends

WesBanco's most recent quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share will be paid April 1st, to shareholders on record as of March 10th.  The WSBC  Annual estimated dividend payout per share of $1.36 yields 3.78% per yesterday's $36.02. closing price. 

WesBanco has paid regular quarterly dividend payouts generally increasing annually since January, 2010. That stretch marked 12 years in January.

WSBC Returns

Adding the $1.36 annual WesBanco Inc forward-looking dividend to its estimated one-year price upside of $1.98 shows a $3.34 potential gross gain, per share, to be reduced by any costs to trade WSBC shares.  

At yesterday's $36.02 price per share, a little over $1000 would buy 28 shares.

A $10 broker fee (if charged) would be paid half at purchase and half at sale and might cost us  $0.36 per share.

Subtract that maybe $0.36 brokerage cost from my estimated $3.34 gross gain estimate per share results in a net gain of $2.98 X 28 shares = $83.44 for aN 8.33% net gain on a $1,008.56 investment.

So it is that WesBanco Inc (WSBC) shows a possible 8.33% net gain including a 3.78% forward estimated dividend yield. 

Over the next year at this time our $1000 investment in WesBanco Inc (WSBC) could generate $37.80 in cash dividends alone. Note that a single share of WSBC stock bought at yesterday's share price of $36.02 is $1.80 below the dividend income from $1000.00 invested. So, by my dogcatcher ideal, now is a good time to pickup WesBanco Inc (WSBC)  shares. The estimated next-year dividend from $1K invested is $1.80 more than yesterday's single share price of WSBC. Consider yourself alerted. It's a sign:  Now's the time!

All of the estimates above are speculation based on the past history of WesBanco Inc (WSBC). Only time and money invested in this stock will determine its market value.