Fourthstone LLC Sells 71,300 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Fourthstone LLC lessened its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 86.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 71,300 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 742.7% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE WBS traded up $1.26 on Tuesday, reaching $45.80. 409,164 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,263,165. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.34 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $50.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.40.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their price target on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.92.

Webster Financial Company 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.