Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $61.58.

WBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wedbush increased their price target on Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS stock opened at $59.57 on Tuesday. Webster Financial has a 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $63.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687,532.71 billion. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total transaction of $30,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,742.89. This trade represents a 2.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lauren States sold 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $99,990.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $910,393.80. This represents a 9.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,287 shares of company stock worth $1,485,050 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Webster Financial by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,039,000 after buying an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its position in Webster Financial by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 360,614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,913,000 after buying an additional 60,820 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Webster Financial by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $105,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $316,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.