LPL Financial LLC Has $3.87 Million Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 28.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,627 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $3,874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth $105,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Webster Financial by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

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

Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $44.05. 42,852 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,258,894. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The business's 50-day moving average price is $51.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 10.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WBS. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.92.

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.