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 the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Webster Financial Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WBS opened at $55.76 on Friday. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $63.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.58 and a 200-day moving average of $53.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $661.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WBS. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 7.6% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 39,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,862,000 after purchasing an additional 2,815 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 24.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $22,146,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 2.8% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 80,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,753,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Webster Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.08.

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.