Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. Acquires 9,500 Shares of Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. grew its holdings in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,500 shares during the quarter. Webster Financial makes up 2.3% of Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $2,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WBS. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,254,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 115.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 32,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,958,000 after acquiring an additional 17,640 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 186.3% during the 3rd quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,817 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,199,000 after acquiring an additional 35,017 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,254,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,253,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Santander lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.96.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.4%

WBS stock opened at $75.15 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.98. The company has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Webster Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $50.66 and a 12 month high of $76.10.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $764.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.26 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Webster Financial Corporation will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 26.19%.

Webster Financial Company Profile

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Through its principal subsidiary, Webster Bank, N.A., the company offers a broad range of banking products and financial services to individuals, small businesses, and middle-market commercial clients. Key offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, equipment finance, treasury management, and payment processing solutions.

In addition to traditional banking services, Webster Financial provides wealth management and insurance products designed to help clients plan for retirement, preserve assets, and manage risk.