Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 185,624 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,930,912 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 185,624 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 1.13% of Webster Financial worth $106,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on WBS. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group started 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. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.92.

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Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, 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 owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial 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 directly owns 210,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $42.09. 639,889 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,243,111. The company's 50 day moving average price is $54.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.67. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 9.63, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05.

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, 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 business had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.