Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.40

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 29th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of 0.40 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%.

Webster Financial has a payout ratio of 23.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Webster Financial to earn $6.67 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 24.0%.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WBS opened at $59.95 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.30. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $58.02 and its 200 day moving average is $51.89.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WBS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, Director Lauren States sold 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $99,990.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $910,393.80. This represents a 9.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Javier L. Evans sold 10,137 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.41, for a total transaction of $581,965.17. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,657 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,738.37. The trade was a 30.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,287 shares of company stock valued at $1,485,050. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.