Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Buys New Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 25,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,394,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Webster Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 19,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 49,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,760,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Penbrook Management LLC increased its stake in Webster Financial by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Penbrook Management LLC now owns 4,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WBS shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.92.

Webster Financial Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WBS opened at $41.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.56. 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 12-month low of $39.34 and a 12-month high of $63.99.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now 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 insiders.

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.