Algebris UK Ltd Sells 73,139 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Algebris UK Ltd lowered its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 30.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,146 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 73,139 shares during the quarter. Webster Financial accounts for 2.3% of Algebris UK Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Algebris UK Ltd owned approximately 0.10% of Webster Financial worth $8,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WBS. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position 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 worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. 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 worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WBS. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.08.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE:WBS traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $51.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,173,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,176,270. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.31. The company has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. 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 twelve month low of $39.34 and a twelve month high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, 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 $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

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.