DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Boosts Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 175.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,390 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,926,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $910,117,000 after acquiring an additional 54,841 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Webster Financial by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,237,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,678,000 after purchasing an additional 95,780 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in Webster Financial by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,072,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $155,997,000 after purchasing an additional 308,455 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $115,096,000 after buying an additional 301,935 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $97,217,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,215,853.99. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,215,853.99. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jason A. Soto sold 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.32, for a total transaction of $76,428.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 20,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $951,366.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,650 shares of company stock valued at $706,098 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.7 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $48.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $46.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.66. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $36.36 and a one year high of $53.39.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its 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 company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $671.91 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 19.81%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 29th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.36.

Webster Financial Company 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.