Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Has $4.24 Million Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,911 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $4,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of WBS opened at $51.57 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.28 and a 200-day moving average of $54.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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 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 owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, 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 owned by corporate 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.