Rhumbline Advisers Buys 2,002 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 497,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,002 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.29% of Webster Financial worth $27,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in Webster Financial by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 500 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 17,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,069,742.89. The trade was a 2.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of WBS opened at $58.73 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $57.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. 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 upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.08.

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.