Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 273,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,015 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $15,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Webster Financial during the third quarter worth about $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Webster Financial by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 45.9% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE WBS opened at $50.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The company has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.20.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.