Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Bought by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 21.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,145 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $3,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WBS. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 7,650.0% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. 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. Barclays reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Webster Financial news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at $2,215,853.99. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Webster Financial news, insider Jason A. Soto sold 1,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.32, for a total value of $76,428.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $951,366.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total transaction of $245,350.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,215,853.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,650 shares of company stock valued at $706,098. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Webster Financial Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:WBS opened at $46.12 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $36.36 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $45.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 9.45, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 19.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $671.91 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 8th. Investors of record on Monday, July 29th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.79%.

Webster Financial 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.