Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $49.62 and traded as high as $55.32. Webster Financial shares last traded at $54.88, with a volume of 611,119 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WBS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.31.

Webster Financial Trading Up 0.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company's 50-day moving average is $57.30 and its 200-day moving average is $49.72.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. The business had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $677.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Javier L. Evans sold 10,137 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.41, for a total value of $581,965.17. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,738.37. This trade represents a 30.91 % 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, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total value of $30,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 17,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,069,742.89. This trade represents a 2.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,250 shares of company stock valued at $2,105,322. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,522,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $240,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206,575 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 64.9% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,604,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $69,927,000 after buying an additional 631,080 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Webster Financial by 182.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 959,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,496,000 after buying an additional 619,934 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $22,146,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $341,229,000 after acquiring an additional 333,606 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

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.