WesBanco’s second quarter results surpassed Wall Street’s revenue and non-GAAP profit expectations, but the market responded negatively. Management cited the successful integration of Premier Financial as a key driver, noting substantial organic loan and deposit growth, a stronger net interest margin, and improved efficiency. CEO Jeffrey Jackson highlighted a 40% year-over-year increase in fee income, attributing it largely to both the Premier acquisition and new treasury management products. Despite these operational gains, the negative market reaction suggests investor concerns around the sustainability of recent performance and potential headwinds in expense management.

Is now the time to buy WSBC? Find out in our full research report (it’s free).

While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention.

Our Top 5 Analyst Questions From WesBanco’s Q2 Earnings Call

• Daniel Tamayo (Raymond James) asked about credit trends related to new markets. CEO Jeffrey Jackson responded that credit quality remains strong, with consistent underwriting standards applied across legacy and new markets.
• Russell Gunther (Stephens) inquired about the sustainability of loan growth rates post-Premier acquisition. Jackson stated the target remains mid- to upper-single-digit growth, though CRE payoffs could lower the rate.
• Karl Shepard (RBC Capital Markets) questioned the expected run-rate of purchase accounting accretion from the Premier acquisition. CFO Daniel Weiss guided that accretion will gradually decline by about one basis point per quarter over the next six quarters.
• Catherine Mealor (KBW) sought clarification on expense savings timing and future margin trends. Weiss explained most savings materialized late in Q2, with minimal further reductions expected and margin improvement supported by the repricing of legacy assets.
• Manuel Navas (D.A. Davidson) asked about deposit growth strategies to support loan expansion. Jackson pointed to robust deposit pipelines, new deposit campaigns, and treasury product rollouts as key enablers for funding future growth.

Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters

Looking forward, our analyst team will be watching (1) the pace of organic loan and deposit growth relative to management’s mid- to upper-single-digit targets, (2) execution of further cost savings through branch rationalization and back-office integration, and (3) stabilization of net interest margin amid CD repricing and lower purchase accounting accretion. The performance of new markets and the health care lending team will also serve as important indicators of WesBanco’s ability to sustain profitable growth.

WesBanco currently trades at $30.67, down from $31.86 just before the earnings. Is there an opportunity in the stock?Find out in our full research report (it’s free).

Our Favorite Stocks Right Now

Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.

The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.