Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. Sells 21,500 Shares of Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. trimmed its position in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 568,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,500 shares during the period. Webster Financial makes up 6.6% of Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $35,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 94,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,866,000 after acquiring an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $114,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 40,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,069,000 after acquiring an additional 5,299 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,658,000 after acquiring an additional 176,258 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 476,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,543,000 after acquiring an additional 20,090 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WBS. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Webster Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group started coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on Webster Financial in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.96.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of WBS stock opened at $71.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.92 and a 200-day moving average of $66.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Webster Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.81 and a 1-year high of $74.00.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.19%.

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.