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

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.31.

WBS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Friday, March 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Webster Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $697,005.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $697,005.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total value of $95,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,941 shares of company stock valued at $1,796,482 in the last quarter. 0.88% of the stock is owned by 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. Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in Webster Financial by 79.1% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Webster Financial during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Webster Financial during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Webster Financial by 9,388.9% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 854 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.37% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE WBS opened at $49.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $48.47 and its 200 day moving average is $45.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $31.03 and a 12 month high of $53.39. The stock has a market cap of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.32.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 22.01%. The business had revenue of $996.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $674.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.60 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 5th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.72%.

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.