Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $240.69 Million Stock Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 28.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,522,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,206,575 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 3.22% of Webster Financial worth $240,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the second quarter worth $32,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 7,650.0% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Webster Financial by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $46.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.64. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.59, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $36.36 and a 1-year high of $53.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $671.91 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 19.81%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 29th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 32.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.04, for a total transaction of $384,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 237,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,833.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.04, for a total transaction of $384,320.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 237,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,833.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at $2,215,853.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,650 shares of company stock worth $706,098. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Webster Financial from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $54.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.36.

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.