Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Acquired by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS - Free Report) by 115.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,365 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 11,433 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 742.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WBS traded down $0.98 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $46.72. The stock had a trading volume of 169,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,624. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $49.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.05. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.73.

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.