Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on WBS. Stephens set a $58.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.58.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE WBS opened at $53.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Webster Financial has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.91 and a 200-day moving average of $50.62.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its 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). The business had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Webster Financial will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, insider Javier L. Evans sold 10,137 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.41, for a total value of $581,965.17. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,738.37. This represents a 30.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.43, for a total value of $209,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $748,333.39. The trade was a 21.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,250 shares of company stock worth $2,105,322 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WBS. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 340.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 595 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 117.9% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Webster Financial by 45.9% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.