Wedbush Increases Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) Price Target to $59.00

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) had its price target lifted by Wedbush from $52.00 to $59.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Webster Financial’s Q1 2025 earnings at $1.34 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.41 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.58 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.85 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.60 EPS.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on WBS. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.85.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of Webster Financial stock opened at $51.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Webster Financial has a 1-year low of $36.36 and a 1-year high of $54.38. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Webster Financial will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 156.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 96,052 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,877,000 after purchasing an additional 58,602 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 1,859.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 15,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 14,891 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Webster Financial in the first quarter valued at about $3,529,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 28.9% in the first quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 94,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,806,000 after acquiring an additional 21,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 14.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,696,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $86,133,000 after acquiring an additional 218,877 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.