Laurence C. Morse Sells 13,217 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) 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 transaction of $780,728.19. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE WBS traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $55.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 885,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 952,376. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $57.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.48. 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 $39.33 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's payout ratio is 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WBS shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Three 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $387,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 456,005 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,181,000 after acquiring an additional 65,951 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 764,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,237,000 after buying an additional 265,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $222,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% 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.