Webster Financial (WBS) Projected to Post Earnings on Friday

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) 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) 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.