8,082 Shares in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Purchased by F M Investments LLC

F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 8,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $446,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,776,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Webster Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 19,336 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 49,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,760,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Webster Financial by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Penbrook Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Penbrook Management LLC now owns 4,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of WBS traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $44.34. The stock had a trading volume of 1,208,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,263,681. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.42. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. 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 has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WBS. UBS Group started coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price objective for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.92.

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.