Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS – Free Report) by 107.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,833 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $3,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WBS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $142,035,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in Webster Financial by 7,442.8% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,032,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $120,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,005,985 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Webster Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $109,754,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Webster Financial by 1,397.4% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,392,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,673,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Webster Financial by 221.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,565,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $85,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077,819 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.04.
Webster Financial Price Performance
Webster Financial stock opened at $77.30 on Friday. Webster Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $52.69 and a 12 month high of $77.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.07 and its 200-day moving average is $71.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 1.00.
Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $769.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $755.80 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 22.78%.Webster Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Webster Financial Corporation will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.
Webster Financial Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.02%.
About Webster Financial
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.
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