Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at UBS Group

UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $76.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on WBS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.31.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Webster Financial stock traded down $1.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $57.71. 1,076,606 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,232,165. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50 day moving average of $56.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total value of $30,955.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,069,742.89. The trade was a 2.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lauren States sold 1,650 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $99,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,023 shares in the company, valued at $910,393.80. This represents a 9.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 37,250 shares of company stock valued at $2,105,322. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 170,852 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,447,000 after purchasing an additional 20,300 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Webster Financial by 12.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $115,096,000 after acquiring an additional 301,935 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 9.4% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 207,297 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,743,000 after acquiring an additional 17,746 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1,482.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 339,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,801,000 after acquiring an additional 317,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,582,000. 85.58% of the stock is 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.