Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Acquired by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 145,394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,709 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $8,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WBS. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $286,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 236,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,012,000 after acquiring an additional 53,950 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 212,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,894,000 after acquiring an additional 44,000 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 78,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,652,000 after acquiring an additional 5,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of WBS stock opened at $51.58 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $56.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.16. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.34 and a twelve month high of $63.99. The company has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays raised their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.08.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

About Webster Financial

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.