Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $3.55 Million in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 64,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,549,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased 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 worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $51.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,162,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,176,173. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $39.34 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99.

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Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial 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. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.08.

Webster Financial Company 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.