Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Raymond James restated an outperform rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $56.23.

Webster Financial Stock Down 1.0 %

WBS stock opened at $45.03 on Friday. Webster Financial has a 12-month low of $31.03 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.23, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.61.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 21.09%. The company had revenue of $667.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $680.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 32.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $697,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $697,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Motl sold 10,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total transaction of $548,890.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,317,234.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,975 shares of company stock worth $1,341,095 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Webster Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $97,217,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,258,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $292,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339,862 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 1,773.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,324,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,778 shares during the last quarter. Azora Capital LP lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 146.3% during the 4th quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 1,477,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,983,000 after purchasing an additional 877,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,916,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $198,785,000 after purchasing an additional 430,331 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.