Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Stock Position Lessened by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 134,587 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 37,399 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.08% of Webster Financial worth $7,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $269,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $246,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 31,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $3,549,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,507,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $83,253,000 after buying an additional 38,713 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 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. Insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WBS. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.92.

Webster Financial Stock Up 3.5 %

WBS traded up $1.53 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.97. The company had a trading volume of 203,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,258,222. The company has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. 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 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $51.99 and a 200-day moving average of $54.42.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same period last 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 year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

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