Natixis Advisors L.P. Acquires 27,463 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 171,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,463 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.10% of Webster Financial worth $8,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $127,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Webster Financial by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,278,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,556,000 after buying an additional 21,026 shares during the period. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in Webster Financial by 98.1% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 149,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,576,000 after acquiring an additional 73,924 shares in the last quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Webster Financial by 7.6% during the third quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. now owns 5,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 242,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,309,000 after purchasing an additional 58,799 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WBS shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Webster Financial from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.23.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,280 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.80, for a total value of $102,144.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 28,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,446.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $45.91 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.41, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.35. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $31.62 and a one year high of $53.39.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $667.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $680.72 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 21.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.62 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is 32.79%.

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.