8,556 Shares in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Acquired by Auxano Advisors LLC

Auxano Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $434,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1.3% during the third quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 19,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its position in Webster Financial by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,812 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 2.5% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 13,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 76,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,073,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 31,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the insider now owns 27,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of Webster Financial stock traded down $1.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 929,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,165,218. The stock has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $31.03 and a 52 week high of $53.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $47.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.65.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The company had revenue of $667.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $680.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 32.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on WBS. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.23.

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.