Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Makes New Investment in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 21,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 4,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,812 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total value of $95,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 27,955 shares in the company, valued at $1,330,658. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Charles L. Wilkins sold 3,966 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $204,486.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 49,528 shares in the company, valued at $2,553,663.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,941 shares of company stock worth $1,545,582. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WBS has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Friday, March 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.85.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of WBS stock traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $45.30. 1,073,781 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,134,312. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.28, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.33. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $31.03 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 22.01%. The firm had revenue of $996.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $674.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 32.72%.

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.