Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 674,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,370 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC owned about 0.39% of Webster Financial worth $31,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 1,859.1% during the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 15,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 14,891 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Webster Financial by 44.2% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 264,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,439,000 after purchasing an additional 81,201 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 170,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,447,000 after purchasing an additional 20,300 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Webster Financial by 402.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 32,066 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,628,000 after purchasing an additional 25,683 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Webster Financial by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,640,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $115,096,000 after buying an additional 301,935 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.50, for a total transaction of $297,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,657 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,591.50. This trade represents a 12.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.33, for a total value of $474,640.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 218,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,988,760.92. This trade represents a 3.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,750 shares of company stock worth $2,074,367 over the last ninety days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Webster Financial Trading Up 0.0 %

Webster Financial stock opened at $62.05 on Friday. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $10.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.37.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its 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). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $677.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 36.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.85.

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.