Brokerages Set Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Target Price at $62.08

Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $62.08.

WBS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Webster Financial Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of WBS traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.58. The company had a trading volume of 840,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,723. Webster Financial has a 52 week low of $39.33 and a 52 week high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $57.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.92.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WBS. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 19,336 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 5,912 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 49,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,760,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Webster Financial by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.