Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 70.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 674,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 278,545 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.39% of Webster Financial worth $37,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,130,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $228,000,000 after acquiring an additional 35,039 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,463,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 327.8% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,001 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 3,832 shares during the period. Finally, PEAK6 LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $1,342,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on WBS shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 target price on Webster Financial and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was 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 the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, 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. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.8 %

WBS traded down $0.40 on Friday, reaching $47.50. 1,787,904 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,274,814. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.45. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $39.34 and a one year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

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.