Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 9,000 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC reduced its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 10.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 74,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,000 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $3,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 340.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 595 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in Webster Financial by 117.9% during the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.08.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of WBS traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $59.06. The company had a trading volume of 864,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,237,237. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.33 and a 52-week high of $63.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $55.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.47. The firm has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $677.72 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Mark Pettie sold 4,500 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.14, for a total value of $230,130.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,676,369.20. The trade was a 12.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. The trade was a 15.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,250 shares of company stock worth $2,105,322. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.