Boston Partners Acquires 81,201 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 44.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 264,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 81,201 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 0.15% of Webster Financial worth $13,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Webster Financial by 29.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 4,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Webster Financial by 3.6% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 79.1% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in Webster Financial by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WBS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.73.

Webster Financial Trading Down 4.6 %

WBS traded down $2.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $44.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,365,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,907,639. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.04, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.30. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $36.36 and a twelve month high of $53.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $44.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.38.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $671.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 8th. Investors of record on Monday, July 29th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total value of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,215,853.99. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at $2,215,853.99. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.04, for a total value of $384,320.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 237,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,833.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,650 shares of company stock worth $706,098. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Webster Financial Company Profile

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.