Stifel Financial Corp Increases Stock Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 12.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 17,020 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.09% of Webster Financial worth $7,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 27.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,278 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 44,069 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,921,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $285,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $627,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 2.3% in the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 269,207 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,735,000 after purchasing an additional 6,091 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE WBS traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $58.96. 694,316 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 905,280. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $55.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.61.

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

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend 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 36.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total value of $180,422.30. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. This trade represents a 15.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.33, for a total value of $474,640.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 218,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,988,760.92. This represents a 3.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 37,250 shares of company stock valued at $2,105,322 in the last 90 days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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 their price objective on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.08.

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.