Analysts Set Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Target Price at $57.85

Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $57.85.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WBS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Webster Financial from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America started coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $60.00 to $65.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Friday, March 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 3,966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $204,486.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 49,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,553,663.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total transaction of $95,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 27,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 3,966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $204,486.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 49,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,553,663.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,941 shares of company stock valued at $1,545,582. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in Webster Financial by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Webster Financial by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in Webster Financial by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 19,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $785,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in Webster Financial by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 21,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE WBS opened at $45.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.33. 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 twelve month low of $31.03 and a twelve month high of $53.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.26.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $996.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $674.82 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 22.01%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.72%.

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.