John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Has $1.40 Million Stock Holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 650 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 1,859.1% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 15,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 14,891 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in Webster Financial by 44.2% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 264,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,439,000 after purchasing an additional 81,201 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 13.5% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 170,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,447,000 after acquiring an additional 20,300 shares in the last quarter. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 18.3% during the first quarter. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. now owns 106,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,384,000 after acquiring an additional 16,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 worth $910,117,000 after purchasing an additional 54,841 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $59.55 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $61.12. The company has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.27.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total value of $180,422.30. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. This represents a 15.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.50, for a total transaction of $297,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,591.50. This represents a 12.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 28,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,599,727 in the last 90 days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com lowered Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.85.

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.