Zacks Research Upgrades Washington Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:WASH) to Hold

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 25th, 2026

Washington Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:WASH – Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about 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. Wall Street Zen raised Washington Trust Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Washington Trust Bancorp from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Washington Trust Bancorp from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners downgraded Washington Trust Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Washington Trust Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.50.

Get Our Latest Report on WASH

Washington Trust Bancorp Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of WASH stock opened at $38.39 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $732.10 million, a P/E ratio of 13.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.72. Washington Trust Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $25.23 and a fifty-two week high of $39.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Washington Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:WASH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.06. Washington Trust Bancorp had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 10.24%. The company had revenue of $60.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Washington Trust Bancorp will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Washington Trust Bancorp

In related news, CEO Edward O. Handy III purchased 3,195 shares of Washington Trust Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $31.32 per share, with a total value of $100,067.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,611,163.44. This trade represents a 6.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rolando A. Lora sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.55, for a total transaction of $27,921.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $356,262.60. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp by 1,417.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 98,423 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,908,000 after buying an additional 91,936 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 44,118 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 18,735 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp in the first quarter worth $9,912,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp during the first quarter worth $306,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Washington Trust Bancorp during the first quarter worth $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.81% of the company’s stock.

Washington Trust Bancorp Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.