Lisanti Capital Growth LLC Invests $7.24 Million in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 142,710 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,244,000. Webster Financial accounts for about 1.7% of Lisanti Capital Growth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Webster Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 18,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in Webster Financial by 79.1% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $243,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 71.5% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 5,414 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 2,258 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 111,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,680,000 after buying an additional 1,433 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.80, for a total value of $102,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 28,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,446.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Up 2.6 %

WBS stock traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $46.11. 1,021,146 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,222,130. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $47.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.79. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $31.62 and a 1-year high of $53.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.35.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The company had revenue of $667.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $680.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The business's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $56.23.

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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