Insider Selling: Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO Sells 8,000 Shares of Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.33, for a total transaction of $474,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 218,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,988,760.92. This trade represents a 3.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.49. 771,322 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,260,686. 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 current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $50.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.82.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $647.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.80%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Webster Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stephens set a $58.00 price target on Webster Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.85.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WBS. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Webster Financial by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 23,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 3,801 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,926,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,117,000 after buying an additional 54,841 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 25.6% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 5,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP bought a new stake in Webster Financial in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $493,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% 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.