Daniel Bley Sells 2,280 Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Stock

Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) 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 transaction of $102,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 28,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,285,446.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Daniel Bley also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 29th, Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of Webster Financial stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total transaction of $95,200.00.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Webster Financial stock opened at $44.92 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $47.62 and a 200-day moving average of $46.66. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.35. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $31.03 and a 1 year 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.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $667.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $680.72 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Webster Financial from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.23.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 79.1% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the third quarter worth $32,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% 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.