Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 1,553 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 24.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,553 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Webster Financial by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,926,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,117,000 after purchasing an additional 54,841 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Webster Financial by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,237,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $316,678,000 after purchasing an additional 95,780 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Webster Financial by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,522,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $240,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206,575 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in Webster Financial by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,086,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $134,524,000 after purchasing an additional 13,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 301,935 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total value of $180,422.30. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,017,460.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.07, for a total value of $245,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,157 shares in the company, valued at $2,215,853.99. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 3,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.10, for a total transaction of $180,422.30. Following the sale, the insider now owns 19,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,460.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,963 shares of company stock valued at $865,622. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $51.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 10.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.28. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $36.36 and a 12-month high of $54.38. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $647.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $677.72 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WBS shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Stephens set a $58.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.85.

Webster Financial 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.