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

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $62.08.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Webster Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WBS. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Webster Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Webster Financial stock opened at $51.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $57.26 and its 200 day moving average is $54.06. Webster Financial has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Webster Financial will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

About Webster Financial

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.