Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Purchased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,026 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Webster Financial worth $5,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Curi RMB Capital LLC grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 71,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,970,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,620,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $365,601,000 after acquiring an additional 45,310 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 674,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,222,000 after acquiring an additional 278,545 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP boosted 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 acquiring an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:WBS traded down $0.40 on Friday, reaching $47.50. 1,787,904 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,274,814. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.34 and a 52-week high of $63.99. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $49.50 and a 200-day moving average of $54.39.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WBS shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.73.

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.