Yousif Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 80,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 642 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $4,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $69,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $3,412,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Webster Financial by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,458 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Webster Financial by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of WBS opened at $45.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $31.03 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.33.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Webster Financial had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The firm had revenue of $667.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $680.72 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WBS. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. 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 report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.23.

Insider Activity at Webster Financial

In related news, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total value of $95,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,330,658. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Webster Financial news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $697,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,627,132.23. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Daniel Bley sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.60, for a total transaction of $95,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,330,658. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,975 shares of company stock valued at $1,341,095. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.