Analysts Set Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Price Target at $56.40

Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $56.10.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.04, for a total value of $384,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 237,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,833.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Webster Financial news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at $2,215,853.99. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.04, for a total transaction of $384,320.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 237,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,833.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,650 shares of company stock valued at $706,098 over the last ninety days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning increased its stake in Webster Financial by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 39,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 2,815 shares during the last quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1.8% in the third quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 93,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,351,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. increased its position in Webster Financial by 100.9% in the third quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 56,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 28,393 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 9.6% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 340.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 595 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Up 3.9 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $47.86 on Friday. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $36.36 and a 12 month high of $53.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 29th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 34.86%.

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.