Trust Investment Advisors Acquires 3,020 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Trust Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,020 shares during the quarter. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 759.8% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 823,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,462,000 after purchasing an additional 727,530 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Webster Financial by 182.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 959,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,496,000 after buying an additional 619,934 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $27,163,000. Boston Partners boosted its position in Webster Financial by 1,491.7% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 485,776 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,838,000 after acquiring an additional 455,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $341,229,000 after acquiring an additional 333,606 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.08.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $52.67 on Wednesday. Webster Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $39.34 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

Webster Financial 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.