Webster Financial Corporation $WBS Shares Acquired by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 37.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 208,492 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,341 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $12,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WBS. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Webster Financial by 3,628.6% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Webster Financial by 56.1% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 829 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WBS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Webster Financial from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.92.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.45, for a total transaction of $443,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,857,302.40. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE WBS opened at $64.13 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $62.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $10.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.05. Webster Financial Corporation has a 52-week low of $39.43 and a 52-week high of $67.43.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 22.67%.The company had revenue of $760.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $731.95 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.07%.

About Webster Financial

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.