Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Director Sells $99,990.00 in Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Director Lauren States sold 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $99,990.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,023 shares in the company, valued at $910,393.80. This trade represents a 9.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.98. The stock had a trading volume of 549,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,260,874. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $61.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $50.11 and a 200 day moving average of $46.62. The company has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.27.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. The company had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $677.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com lowered Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Webster Financial by 340.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 595 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Webster Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

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.