William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 1,101 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,101 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 88.1% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in 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 valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $52.12 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.93 billion, a PE ratio of 11.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $56.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.18. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays raised their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. 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 for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of 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, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.08.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.