Webster Financial (WBS) Projected to Post Earnings on Friday

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) is anticipated to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Friday, January 17th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.34 per share and revenue of $687,532.71 billion for the quarter.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $677.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.55 EPS. On average, analysts expect Webster Financial to post $5 EPS for the current fiscal year and $6 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS traded up $1.57 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $58.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,432,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,044,648. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $58.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.30.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Webster Financial's payout ratio is currently 36.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.43, for a total transaction of $209,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $748,333.39. This trade represents a 21.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total value of $30,955.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,069,742.89. This represents a 2.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,250 shares of company stock worth $2,105,322. Insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on WBS. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.58.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.