Trexquant Investment LP Invests $2.98 Million in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 54,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,983,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in 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 worth $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE WBS traded up $0.05 on Friday, hitting $42.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,840,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,261,812. The firm has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.67, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.34 and a 52-week high of $63.99. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $52.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Remove Ads

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBS has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the 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 approximately $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % 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, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 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. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Webster Financial 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.