Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $56.40.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS stock opened at $45.64 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.47. Webster Financial has a twelve month low of $36.36 and a twelve month high of $53.39. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.35, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $671.91 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 19.81%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 8th. Investors of record on Monday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,215,853.99. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jason A. Soto sold 1,650 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.32, for a total transaction of $76,428.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $951,366.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total value of $245,350.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,215,853.99. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,650 shares of company stock valued at $706,098 over the last quarter. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Webster Financial by 5.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 6.5% in the first quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 4,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 3.6% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 6.5% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 30.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Company Profile

Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking.