Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Stock Holdings Reduced by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,930,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 185,624 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 1.13% of Webster Financial worth $106,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $246,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 6.8% in the 3rd 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. boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,507,655 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,253,000 after purchasing an additional 38,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $3,549,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

WBS opened at $51.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.66.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WBS. Barclays increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In related news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Company 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.