Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 2,104 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 86,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,104 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $4,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 337,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,615,000 after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $27,163,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Webster Financial Price Performance

WBS stock opened at $51.57 on Friday. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $39.34 and a 1 year high of $63.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company’s 50-day moving average is $56.28 and its 200-day moving average is $54.25.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced 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. Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Webster Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.08.

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.