Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $2.08 Million in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 40,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,079,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 worth $469,007,000 after acquiring an additional 99,908 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings 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 worth $365,601,000 after purchasing an additional 45,310 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Webster Financial by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,130,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $228,000,000 after purchasing an additional 35,039 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,154,160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $174,173,000 after purchasing an additional 116,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 4.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 114,375 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of WBS stock traded down $1.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.96. 1,447,858 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,470,211. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.04. Webster Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $39.43 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $55.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.48.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $715.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $716.59 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.84% and a net margin of 20.06%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. On average, equities research 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 will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is 32.45%.

Webster Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock 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 purchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $67.00 target price (up from $61.00) on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.77.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other news, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 3,250 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.31, for a total value of $196,007.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 15,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at $950,184.05. This trade represents a 17.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $266,250.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 31,534 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,679,185.50. This represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,838 shares of company stock worth $2,318,109 over the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.