Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla Sells 8,000 Shares

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS stock opened at $55.76 on Friday. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $57.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.32.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Webster Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in Webster Financial by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares in the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC bought a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $387,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 456,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,181,000 after purchasing an additional 65,951 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 764,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,237,000 after purchasing an additional 265,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $222,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WBS shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.08.

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.