Seaport Res Ptn Issues Negative Estimate for WBS Earnings

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) – Seaport Res Ptn decreased their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Webster Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 30th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst L. Hunsicker now anticipates that the financial services provider will earn $1.42 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.49. The consensus estimate for Webster Financial’s current full-year earnings is $5.88 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Webster Financial’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.40 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $5.54 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.73.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $49.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.64 and a 200-day moving average of $54.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.98. Webster Financial has a fifty-two week low of $39.34 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.04%.

Webster Financial declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $700.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $86,112.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,029,373.28. This represents a 7.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,017 shares of company stock valued at $1,326,280. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Webster Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Webster Financial by 43.7% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 171.2% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares during 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.