Fox Run Management L.L.C. Invests $951,000 in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $951,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the fourth quarter worth $1,916,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,975,992 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,114,000 after acquiring an additional 129,675 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 76,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,238,000 after acquiring an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 145,394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,028,000 after acquiring an additional 6,709 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 43,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,415,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Webster Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

WBS opened at $51.57 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Webster Financial Co. has a one year low of $39.34 and a one year high of $63.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 18.39%. The business had revenue of $661.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $687.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.43, for a total transaction of $459,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 210,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,063,228.93. This trade represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Laurence C. Morse sold 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.07, for a total value of $780,728.19. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,988.56. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Webster Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on Webster Financial from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Webster Financial from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.08.

About Webster Financial

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.