Trust Investment Advisors Buys 3,020 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Trust Investment Advisors raised its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,020 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Webster Financial during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Webster Financial in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Webster Financial by 88.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $105,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.08.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE WBS opened at $52.67 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $39.34 and a 12-month high of $63.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $56.17 and its 200-day moving average is $54.43. The company has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $687.53 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total transaction of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total value of $459,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. 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.