Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by Polaris Capital Management LLC

Polaris Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 725,695 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 43,000 shares during the period. Webster Financial makes up about 1.9% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.42% of Webster Financial worth $40,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Penbrook Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Penbrook Management LLC now owns 4,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,895 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total value of $30,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 17,279 shares in the company, valued at $1,069,742.89. This represents a 2.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lauren States sold 1,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $99,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $910,393.80. This trade represents a 9.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,150 shares of company stock worth $903,085. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WBS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.08.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WBS traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $59.16. 196,165 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 923,081. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.29. 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 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $63.99. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $57.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.76.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Webster Financial Profile

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.