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 disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 40,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,079,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 166.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,032 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Webster Financial by 43.7% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 941 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,028,000 after acquiring an additional 4,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Webster Financial by 13.8% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 41,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,165,000 after acquiring an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on WBS. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $67.00 price objective (up previously from $61.00) on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Friday, July 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.77.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS traded down $1.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.96. 1,447,858 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,321,904. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.52. Webster Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $39.43 and a 1-year high of $63.99. 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 cap of $9.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.00.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $715.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $716.59 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 20.06% and a return on equity of 10.84%. The business's revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is 32.45%.

Webster Financial announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $700.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

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

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.