Webster Financial Corporation $WBS Stock Holdings Lifted by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Key Points

• Jones Financial Companies Lllp significantly increased its stake in Webster Financial Corporation by 29,356.4%, acquiring 216,650 additional shares, reaching a total of 217,388 shares valued at $11.2 million.
• Analysts are optimistic about Webster Financial, with ten research analysts rating the stock as a Buy and raising target prices, including UBS's target of $69.00 and Citigroup's new target of $71.00.
• Webster Financial recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, reflecting a 2.6% yield and a payout ratio of 32.45%.

Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 29,356.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 217,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 216,650 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp owned 0.13% of Webster Financial worth $11,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,299 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,176,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,733 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 305.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 278,128 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,358,000 after purchasing an additional 209,590 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Webster Financial by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 76,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,241,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $3,028,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $69.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of 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 Financial raised their target price on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, insider Jason A. Soto sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.21, for a total value of $153,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 18,889 shares in the company, valued at $1,156,195.69. This represents a 11.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Albert Jen-Wen Wang sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.31, for a total value of $196,007.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $950,184.05. The trade was a 17.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,445 shares of company stock worth $1,983,757 over the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS stock opened at $62.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Webster Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $39.43 and a fifty-two week high of $63.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.47.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.84% and a net margin of 20.06%.The firm had revenue of $715.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $716.59 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.45%.

Webster Financial Company 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.

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