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 Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of WBS traded down $0.53 during trading on Friday, reaching $57.15. 68,339 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 929,416. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $63.99. The stock has a market cap of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on WBS shares. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays raised their price target on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group started coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Webster Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.08.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WBS. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $61,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.