Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Holdings Raised by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 386,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,470 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned approximately 0.23% of Webster Financial worth $19,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Webster Financial by 171.2% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,025 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Webster Financial by 78.7% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,117 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, Director Lauren States sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.80, for a total value of $111,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $742,696. This represents a 13.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 1,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $86,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,029,373.28. The trade was a 7.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,000 shares of company stock worth $934,210. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on WBS shares. Raymond James decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 price objective on Webster Financial and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.75.

Webster Financial Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE WBS traded down $1.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,646,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,278,155. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.00. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $49.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.49.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $708.46 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Webster Financial's payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

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.