Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 273,267 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 37,015 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.16% of Webster Financial worth $15,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 45.9% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $51.57. 2,173,740 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,174,644. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $56.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.34 and a 52-week high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

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Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Webster Financial news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on WBS. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.08.

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.