Capital International Investors Raises Stake in Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,177,281 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,676 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned approximately 2.59% of Webster Financial worth $263,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 39.7% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Curi Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Curi Capital LLC now owns 68,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,740,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 839 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 8,160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Webster Financial stock opened at $72.29 on Monday. Webster Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $50.66 and a 52 week high of $74.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 1.01.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The firm had revenue of $764.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Webster Financial Corporation will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is presently 26.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WBS shares. Citigroup lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Santander lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.96.

Webster Financial Company Profile

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Through its principal subsidiary, Webster Bank, N.A., the company offers a broad range of banking products and financial services to individuals, small businesses, and middle-market commercial clients. Key offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, equipment finance, treasury management, and payment processing solutions.

In addition to traditional banking services, Webster Financial provides wealth management and insurance products designed to help clients plan for retirement, preserve assets, and manage risk.