Headlands Technologies LLC Takes $127,000 Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $127,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WBS. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted 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 purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Mariner LLC lifted 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 during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 76,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,073,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 31,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.23.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 27,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE WBS opened at $44.89 on Tuesday. Webster Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $31.03 and a 12 month high of $53.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.79 and a 200-day moving average of $46.65. The company has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.33.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 21.09%. The firm had revenue of $667.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $680.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

About Webster Financial

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.