Wedbush Decreases Earnings Estimates for Webster Financial

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) – Research analysts at Wedbush dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Webster Financial in a report issued on Tuesday, November 5th. Wedbush analyst D. Chiaverini now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $1.30 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.34. Wedbush has a “Neutral” rating and a $59.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Webster Financial’s current full-year earnings is $5.23 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Webster Financial’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.37 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.46 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.52 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.65 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.50 EPS.

WBS has been the subject of several other research reports. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays raised their target price on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.85.

Webster Financial Stock Up 18.2 %

WBS stock opened at $60.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.71. Webster Financial has a fifty-two week low of $38.54 and a fifty-two week high of $60.13. 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 (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 7,650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 117.9% during the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Mark Pettie sold 4,500 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.14, for a total value of $230,130.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 32,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,676,369.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mark Pettie sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.14, for a total transaction of $230,130.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,676,369.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the sale, the insider now owns 19,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,963 shares of company stock valued at $620,272 in the last three months. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.28%.

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.