Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Acquired by Boston Partners

Boston Partners lifted its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 1,491.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 485,776 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 455,257 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned about 0.28% of Webster Financial worth $26,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Webster Financial by 4.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $341,229,000 after acquiring an additional 333,606 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted 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 period. 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 valued at $82,845,000 after purchasing an additional 93,929 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,507,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $83,253,000 after buying an additional 38,713 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 12.6% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 960,383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,763,000 after buying an additional 107,165 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Webster Financial Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE:WBS traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $52.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,522,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,177,657. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $9.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.34 and a 12 month high of $63.99.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.08.

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.