Premier Financial to merge into WesBanco in stock-for-stock transaction

Premier Financial (PFC) and WesBanco (WSBC) announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which PFC will merge into WSBC in a stock-for-stock transaction. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of PFC will receive 0.80 shares of WSBC common stock for each share of PFC common stock. Premier Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of PFC, will merge into Wesbanco Bank, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of WSBC. Based upon a closing price for WSBC as of July 25 of $34.28, the transaction is valued at approximately $987M, or $27.42 per common share of PFC. Upon closing, PFC shareholders will own approximately 30% of the combined company. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, subject to the approval of shareholders of both PFC and WSBC and regulatory approvals, as well as satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. Additional information can be found in the press release announcing the merger dated July 26.