Fmr LLC Grows Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,493,426 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 99,908 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned 4.96% of Webster Financial worth $469,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 742.7% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Webster Financial by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 382,473 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,120,000 after acquiring an additional 234,526 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,394,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,464,000. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 81.9% in the fourth quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 102,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,687,000 after purchasing an additional 46,359 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Webster Financial Stock Up 3.5 %

NYSE WBS traded up $1.51 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $44.95. 292,600 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,258,530. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The stock has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $51.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.42.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $687.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's payout ratio is 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WBS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.