Wealthfront Advisers LLC Makes New Investment in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 491,906 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $27,163,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Webster Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Webster Financial by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 45,904 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,535,000 after buying an additional 9,706 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 21,259 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,192 shares in the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $578,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $14,735,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,751 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company'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 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 represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $62.08.

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Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS opened at $48.84 on Wednesday. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $8.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28.

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. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's payout ratio is 36.61%.

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.

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