469 Shares in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Acquired by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. The trade was a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Webster Financial stock opened at $50.90 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $56.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.20. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week high of $63.99.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WBS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.08.

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.