Barclays PLC Purchases 81,832 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 379,666 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 81,832 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.22% of Webster Financial worth $20,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $120,497,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 759.8% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 823,280 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,462,000 after purchasing an additional 727,530 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,163,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,464,000. Finally, Boston Partners grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 1,491.7% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 485,776 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,838,000 after buying an additional 455,257 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WBS. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target 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 dropped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.45.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $47.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 457,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,270,236. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.34 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The firm has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $49.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.31.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The company had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. Analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

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.