Webster Financial Corporation $WBS Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Webster Financial by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 32,283 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 493,702 shares valued at about $31.1 million.
• Webster Financial recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.57 versus the $1.53 estimate and revenue of $764.05 million, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, which annualizes to $1.60 and yields about 2.2%; Wall Street currently has a consensus Hold rating on the stock.

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 493,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 32,283 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.31% of Webster Financial worth $31,074,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 94,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,866,000 after buying an additional 2,049 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $114,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 40,127 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,069,000 after purchasing an additional 5,299 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,658,000 after purchasing an additional 176,258 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 476,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,543,000 after purchasing an additional 20,090 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS stock opened at $72.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $11.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 1.00. Webster Financial Corporation has a 12-month low of $50.66 and a 12-month high of $74.00. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $71.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.96.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $764.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $735.26 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 22.95%.The business's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Corporation will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Citigroup cut Webster Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, February 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Webster Financial from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.96.

Webster Financial Profile

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Through its principal subsidiary, Webster Bank, N.A., the company offers a broad range of banking products and financial services to individuals, small businesses, and middle-market commercial clients. Key offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, equipment finance, treasury management, and payment processing solutions.

In addition to traditional banking services, Webster Financial provides wealth management and insurance products designed to help clients plan for retirement, preserve assets, and manage risk.

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