Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Purchased by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $2,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Webster Financial by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WBS shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.91, for a total transaction of $30,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,069,742.89. This trade represents a 2.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Javier L. Evans sold 10,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.41, for a total transaction of $581,965.17. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,657 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,738.37. This represents a 30.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 25,287 shares of company stock worth $1,485,050. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $60.09 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $57.98 and its 200-day moving average is $52.08. The company has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.33 and a 52-week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

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.