Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS – Get Rating) by 45.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 29,117 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in Webster Financial by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,408 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Webster Financial by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its stake in Webster Financial by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 28,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,291,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 19.8% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 85.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $36.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.39 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $31.03 and a 52 week high of $56.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.42.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $666.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $708.96 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 28.33% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.39%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 32.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WBS. UBS Group assumed coverage on Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $47.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Webster Financial from $54.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.42.

About Webster Financial

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Webster Financial Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses. It operates through the following business segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Retail Banking. The Commercial Banking segment includes commercial banking and private banking.