BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $2.67 Million Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 45.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 40,932 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Webster Financial were worth $2,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,493,426 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $469,007,000 after purchasing an additional 99,908 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Webster Financial by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,620,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $365,601,000 after buying an additional 45,310 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Webster Financial by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,130,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $228,000,000 after buying an additional 35,039 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,154,160 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $174,173,000 after acquiring an additional 116,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,948,701 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $162,828,000 after acquiring an additional 114,375 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on WBS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 price target on Webster Financial and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.58.

Insider Activity

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,217 shares of company stock valued at $1,386,244. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WBS traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $52.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,026,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,255,817. The stock has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.98. The company's 50 day moving average price is $48.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.04%.

Webster Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase $700.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.