Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 38,713 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,507,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 38,713 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.88% of Webster Financial worth $83,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WBS. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Webster Financial by 759.8% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 823,280 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,462,000 after acquiring an additional 727,530 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Webster Financial by 182.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 959,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,496,000 after buying an additional 619,934 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $341,229,000 after buying an additional 333,606 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 57.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 770,684 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,922,000 after buying an additional 281,686 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,059,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.08.

Webster Financial Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of Webster Financial stock traded up $1.55 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $50.27. 531,459 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,158,961. 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 $56.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $39.34 and a 12-month high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) 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. The business had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the 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 owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents 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. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the sale, 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 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.