Washington Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:WASH) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WASH)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $39.85 and last traded at $39.28, with a volume of 483430 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $36.32.

Key Stories Impacting Washington Trust Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Washington Trust Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Washington Trust posted second-quarter EPS of $0.83, beating the $0.76 consensus estimate, while revenue of $60.47 million also came in ahead of expectations. Washington Trust Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Net income rose to $16.0 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, up from the prior quarter, signaling improved profitability. Washington Trust Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The bank expects 2.80% net interest margin in Q4 2026 and mid-single-digit loan growth, with institutional banking helping drive momentum. Washington Trust expects 2.80% NIM in Q4 2026 as institutional banking drives mid-single-digit loan growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around the results highlighted solid quarterly performance and growth in institutional banking and digital initiatives, but did not add materially new fundamentals beyond the earnings beat. Washington Trust Bancorp Delivers Strong Q2 Results, Drives Growth in Institutional Banking and Digital Innovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional earnings recaps from Yahoo Finance, MSN, and Zacks reiterated that results topped estimates, reinforcing the positive reaction in WASH. Washington Trust: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Washington Trust Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Washington Trust Bancorp from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Washington Trust Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Washington Trust Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.50.

Washington Trust Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $749.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $34.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.52.

Washington Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:WASH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.06. Washington Trust Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 14.50%.The business had revenue of $60.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.91 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Washington Trust Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 1st. Washington Trust Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 82.05%.

Insider Activity at Washington Trust Bancorp

In related news, CFO Ronald S. Ohsberg acquired 1,606 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $31.00 per share, for a total transaction of $49,786.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $920,855. The trade was a 5.72% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward O. Handy III bought 3,195 shares of Washington Trust Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $31.32 per share, with a total value of $100,067.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 51,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,611,163.44. This trade represents a 6.62% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased 36,801 shares of company stock worth $1,147,293 over the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Washington Trust Bancorp by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp by 8.1% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 19,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 1,448 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp by 9.8% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 29,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp in the second quarter worth $409,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Washington Trust Bancorp by 3.0% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 304,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,608,000 after purchasing an additional 8,938 shares during the last quarter. 65.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Washington Trust Bancorp

Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc is the bank holding company for The Washington Trust Company, a community bank headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Through its subsidiary, the company operates a network of branch offices across Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut, serving individuals, small businesses and municipalities with a full suite of financial services.

The company’s core business activities encompass retail and commercial banking, including checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage financing, and cash management solutions.