Insider Selling: Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO Sells 8,000 Shares of Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.33, for a total value of $474,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 218,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,988,760.92. This represents a 3.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE WBS traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.50. The company had a trading volume of 203,718 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,255,967. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.06 and a 200-day moving average of $46.91. The company has a market cap of $10.54 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.27. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $61.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 36.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WBS. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the third quarter worth about $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Webster Financial by 340.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 595 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 7,650.0% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WBS. Wedbush lifted their price target on Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com lowered Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned 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 $57.85.

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.