Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla Sells 8,000 Shares of Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Webster Financial Stock Down 3.3 %

WBS stock opened at $55.76 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.25. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $63.99. The company has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly 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. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WBS shares. Barclays increased their price objective 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. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. 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 research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth $61,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.