Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $73.9643.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WBS. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Santander lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BOKF NA bought a new position in Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 246.8% during the first quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 437 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $72.67 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. Webster Financial has a 52 week low of $50.24 and a 52 week high of $74.00. The firm has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89 and a beta of 1.02.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $764.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $735.26 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 22.95%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 26.19%.

About Webster Financial

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Through its principal subsidiary, Webster Bank, N.A., the company offers a broad range of banking products and financial services to individuals, small businesses, and middle-market commercial clients. Key offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, equipment finance, treasury management, and payment processing solutions.

In addition to traditional banking services, Webster Financial provides wealth management and insurance products designed to help clients plan for retirement, preserve assets, and manage risk.