Analysts Set Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) PT at $73.96

Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.9643.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup downgraded Webster Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays set a $75.00 price objective on Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Webster Financial from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Webster Financial Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:WBS opened at $72.86 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.02. Webster Financial has a one year low of $49.50 and a one year high of $74.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.76.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 22.95%.The firm had revenue of $764.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.26 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.19%.

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Webster Financial by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 94,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,866,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Webster Financial during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $114,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Webster Financial by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 40,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,069,000 after purchasing an additional 5,299 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Webster Financial by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,658,000 after purchasing an additional 176,258 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 476,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,543,000 after purchasing an additional 20,090 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Company Profile

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.