KBC Group NV Has $1.11 Million Stock Position in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS)

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 72.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 57,257 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Webster Financial by 171.2% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,025 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Webster Financial by 166.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 78.7% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $60.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three investment 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, Webster Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 1,800 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $86,112.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,029,373.28. The trade was a 7.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lauren States sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.80, for a total value of $111,760.00. Following the sale, the director owned 14,620 shares in the company, valued at $742,696. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,000 shares of company stock valued at $934,210. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE WBS traded up $0.92 during trading on Friday, hitting $58.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,183,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,284,263. Webster Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $39.43 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company's 50-day moving average price is $52.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.94. The company has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.00.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 10.57%. The business had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $708.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Webster Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.04%.

Webster Financial declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are 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.