UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $25.18 Million Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 456,005 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 65,951 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.27% of Webster Financial worth $25,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 36.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 297,834 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,883,000 after acquiring an additional 79,556 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,039,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,331 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 222.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 78,822 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,353,000 after acquiring an additional 54,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $61.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 price objective on Webster Financial and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.75.

Webster Financial Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE WBS traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $51.57. 1,397,938 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,276,898. The business's 50-day moving average is $48.46 and its 200-day moving average is $54.00. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.34 and a twelve month high of $63.99. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.98.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $704.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $708.46 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Webster Financial's payout ratio is 36.04%.

Webster Financial announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to buyback $700.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Javier L. Evans sold 7,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.58, for a total value of $410,124.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,042,135.60. This trade represents a 28.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lauren States sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.80, for a total value of $111,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $742,696. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,000 shares of company stock valued at $667,960 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

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.