Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Stock Position Raised by Hartford Financial Management Inc.

Hartford Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 38.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $104,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% in the 1st 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 boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 95,780 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,522,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,687,000 after buying an additional 1,206,575 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,086,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $134,524,000 after buying an additional 13,487 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,096,000 after buying an additional 301,935 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS opened at $51.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $37.18 and a one year high of $54.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.56.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.55 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.28%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 4,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.43, for a total transaction of $209,720.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $748,333.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,963 shares of company stock worth $620,272. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.85.

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.