Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by Nicholas Company Inc.

Nicholas Company Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 39.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 98,341 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. owned 0.09% of Webster Financial worth $8,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 45.9% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Webster Financial stock opened at $50.40 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.10. The company has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $39.34 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.08.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.