Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Purchased by Capital International Investors

Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,130,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 35,039 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned approximately 2.41% of Webster Financial worth $228,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $1,463,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 327.8% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,001 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 3,832 shares during the last quarter. PEAK6 LLC purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $1,342,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 379,666 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,966,000 after buying an additional 81,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 91,132 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,032,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:WBS traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $47.75. The stock had a trading volume of 522,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,270,418. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.31. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.34 and a twelve month high of $63.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $704.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. On average, analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 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 business's 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WBS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.45.

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.