Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Sells 44,630 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 36.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 44,630 shares during the quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $4,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 742.7% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE WBS traded down $0.27 during trading on Monday, hitting $49.48. The stock had a trading volume of 775,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,251,637. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.38. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $39.34 and a one year high of $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $704.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. Webster Financial's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase $700.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Webster Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.04%.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 1,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $86,112.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,029,373.28. This trade represents a 7.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,017 shares of company stock worth $1,326,280 in the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.73.

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.