Latest news with #WashingtonTrustBancorp
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington Trust Bancorp's (NASDAQ:WASH) Dividend Will Be $0.56
The board of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WASH) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 11th of July, with investors receiving $0.56 per share. This makes the dividend yield 8.2%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Washington Trust Bancorp has established itself as a dividend paying company with over 10 years history of distributing earnings to shareholders. Past distributions unfortunately do not guarantee future ones, and Washington Trust Bancorp's last earnings report actually showed that the company went over its net earnings in its total dividend distribution. This is an alarming sign that could mean that Washington Trust Bancorp's dividend at its current rate may no longer be sustainable for longer. Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 104.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could get very high, which probably can't continue without starting to put some pressure on the balance sheet. Check out our latest analysis for Washington Trust Bancorp The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from $1.16 total annually to $2.24. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.8% per annum over that time. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio. Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. However, things aren't all that rosy. Over the past five years, it looks as though Washington Trust Bancorp's EPS has declined at around 22% a year. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited. We should note that Washington Trust Bancorp has issued stock equal to 13% of shares outstanding. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective. Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock. Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Washington Trust Bancorp that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WASH) is largely controlled by institutional shareholders who own 69% of the company
Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Washington Trust Bancorp's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions The top 18 shareholders own 50% of the company Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. To get a sense of who is truly in control of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WASH), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 69% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Washington Trust Bancorp. Check out our latest analysis for Washington Trust Bancorp Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Washington Trust Bancorp. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Washington Trust Bancorp's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Washington Trust Bancorp is not owned by hedge funds. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 14% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 6.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 5.8% by the third-largest shareholder. A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 18 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that no single shareholder has a majority. Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own US$11m worth of the US$547m company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. With a 29% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Washington Trust Bancorp. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Washington Trust Bancorp better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Washington Trust Bancorp that you should be aware of. If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. 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Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington Trust Announces Date of First Quarter 2025 Earnings Release, Conference Call and Webcast
WESTERLY, R.I., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: WASH), the publicly owned holding company of The Washington Trust Company, will release first quarter 2025 earnings and host a conference call with the Corporation's executives as follows: Earnings Release: Monday, April 21, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET Conference Call: Monday, April 21, 2025, 10:00 a.m. ET Participant Dial In: 1-833-470-1428 (Toll-Free) International Dial In: Global Dial-In Numbers Access Code: 572620 Webcast: Washington Trust Bancorp's website, Teleconference Replay: A recording will be available until Monday, May 5, 2025 Replay Number US: 1-866-813-9403 (Toll-Free) Access Code: 256173 ABOUT WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP, INC. Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. ("the Corporation), NASDAQ: WASH, is the publicly-owned holding company of The Washington Trust Company ("Washington Trust", "the Bank"), with $6.9 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is recognized as the oldest community bank in the nation, the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in Rhode Island and one of the Northeast's premier financial services companies. Washington Trust values its role as a community bank and is committed to helping the people, businesses, and organizations of New England improve their financial lives. The Bank offers a wide range of commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking and wealth management services through its offices in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts and a full suite of convenient digital tools. Washington Trust is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information, visit the Corporation's website at or the Bank's website at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc.
