Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Bought by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 57.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 770,684 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 281,686 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 0.45% of Webster Financial worth $35,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WBS. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 170,852 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,447,000 after acquiring an additional 20,300 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Webster Financial by 12.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $115,096,000 after acquiring an additional 301,935 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 9.4% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 207,297 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,743,000 after purchasing an additional 17,746 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 1,482.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 339,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,801,000 after purchasing an additional 317,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the second quarter valued at about $4,582,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total transaction of $30,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 17,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,069,742.89. This represents a 2.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.43, for a total value of $209,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $748,333.39. The trade was a 21.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,250 shares of company stock valued at $2,105,322 over the last ninety days. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Stephens set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.08.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

WBS stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $58.67. The company had a trading volume of 178,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,232,754. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $39.33 and a 52 week high of $63.99. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.47. The company has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.39, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $677.72 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.28%.

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.