AlphaQuest LLC Buys 2,192 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,259 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,192 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Webster Financial by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 19,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its position in Webster Financial by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 49,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,760,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Penbrook Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Penbrook Management LLC now owns 4,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 34,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,929,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.08.

Webster Financial Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $51.13 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $57.26 and its 200 day moving average is $54.06. The company has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week high of $63.99.

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

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

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.