Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 166,706 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 30,000 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $8,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Webster Financial by 1.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,278,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,556,000 after purchasing an additional 21,026 shares during the period. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 98.1% during 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 during the period. FDx Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Webster Financial by 7.6% in the third quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. now owns 5,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Webster Financial by 58.2% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 319,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,874,000 after purchasing an additional 117,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Webster Financial by 15.7% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 83,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,375,000 after purchasing an additional 11,387 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on WBS. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $51.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.23.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:WBS traded up $0.24 on Wednesday, reaching $45.12. The stock had a trading volume of 750,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,152,509. Webster Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $31.03 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.97 and a 200 day moving average of $46.50.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.02). Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The business 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% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $697,005.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 89,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,627,132.23. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Christopher J. Motl sold 10,475 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total value of $548,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 63,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,317,234.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Luis Massiani sold 13,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $697,005.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 89,621 shares in the company, valued at $4,627,132.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,941 shares of company stock valued at $1,545,582. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.