First Foundation Advisors Sells 27,819 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

First Foundation Advisors cut its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 73.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,053 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 27,819 shares during the quarter. First Foundation Advisors' holdings in Webster Financial were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Webster Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 75,049 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,144,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. F M Investments LLC bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $446,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,735,000. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $234,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $1,587,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $76.00 target price for the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Webster Financial news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WBS traded up $0.28 on Wednesday, hitting $44.64. The company had a trading volume of 175,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,259,450. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.65 and a 200 day moving average of $54.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 10.22, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. Webster Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $39.34 and a 52-week high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Webster Financial's payout ratio is 36.61%.

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.