Private Advisor Group LLC Has $1.12 Million Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,268 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,498 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $341,229,000 after buying an additional 333,606 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,969,928 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $138,465,000 after purchasing an additional 54,613 shares during the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 1,777,413 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $82,845,000 after purchasing an additional 93,929 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,468,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $68,467,000 after purchasing an additional 34,373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in Webster Financial by 12.6% in the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 960,383 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,763,000 after buying an additional 107,165 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE WBS traded down $1.99 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $54.33. 1,341,674 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 943,992. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.81. The company has a market capitalization of $9.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.08.

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.