Insider Selling: Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Insider Sells 3,463 Shares of Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,529 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,460.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS stock opened at $51.51 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $36.36 and a 12-month high of $54.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $46.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.40. The company has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.55 EPS. Analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Stephens set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.85.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,926,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $910,117,000 after acquiring an additional 54,841 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,237,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,678,000 after purchasing an additional 95,780 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,522,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206,575 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,086,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $134,524,000 after purchasing an additional 13,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 12.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,096,000 after buying an additional 301,935 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Webster Financial

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.