Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 7,054 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Trillium Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 157,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,054 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $8,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $269,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $246,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 6.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 31,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 2.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,468,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $68,467,000 after purchasing an additional 34,373 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 8.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 89,202 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,158,000 after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE WBS opened at $50.90 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $56.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.20. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $39.34 and a 1-year high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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, Barclays lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.08.

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.