Xponance Inc. Acquires 1,333 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 19,773 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 45.9% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $51.57 on Monday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.31. The company has a market cap 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.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.08.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company 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.