4,039 Shares in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Acquired by SlateStone Wealth LLC

SlateStone Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 4,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,529 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 49.0% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 3,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $697,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 89,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total transaction of $95,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $697,005.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,627,132.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,941 shares of company stock worth $1,545,582. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $44.62. 199,550 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,146,099. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average is $47.97 and its 200 day moving average is $46.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.33. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $31.03 and a one year high of $53.39.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $667.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $680.72 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 13.05%. Webster Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WBS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock 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.