Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Director Laurence C. Morse Sells 13,217 Shares of Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.7 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $57.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.15. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The stock has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WBS. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Webster Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $387,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 456,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,181,000 after acquiring an additional 65,951 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 764,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,237,000 after acquiring an additional 265,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% 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.