Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 220 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $1,093,000. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after buying an additional 4,498 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 759.8% in the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 823,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,462,000 after buying an additional 727,530 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in Webster Financial by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 49,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,760,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 2,486.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,216 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 4,053 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Webster Financial stock opened at $55.93 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.58. The company has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $39.33 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WBS. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group began 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 for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.08.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.