Webster Financial Corporation $WBS Shares Purchased by Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.

Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. lifted its position in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,500 shares during the quarter. Webster Financial comprises about 2.3% of Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $2,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 32,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,958,000 after purchasing an additional 17,640 shares during the period. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,254,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 186.3% in the 3rd quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,817 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 35,017 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,254,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $56,253,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBS has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Santander cut shares of Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Webster Financial from $79.00 to $77.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.96.

Webster Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WBS opened at $75.15 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Webster Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $50.66 and a 52 week high of $76.10.

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

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.19%.

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.