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

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

Other large investors have also recently 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 valued at $269,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $246,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $68,467,000 after purchasing an additional 34,373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings 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 valued at $4,158,000 after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS opened at $51.13 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $57.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.06. Webster Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $39.34 and a twelve month high of $63.99.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million during 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 quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $780,728.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on WBS shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.