Amalgamated Bank Purchases 189 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Amalgamated Bank grew its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 81,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $4,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 759.8% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 823,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,462,000 after purchasing an additional 727,530 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Webster Financial by 182.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 959,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,496,000 after purchasing an additional 619,934 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,320,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $341,229,000 after buying an additional 333,606 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 57.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 770,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,922,000 after buying an additional 281,686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,059,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE WBS opened at $56.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $57.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director now owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,063,228.93. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

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.