Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Holdings in Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,812,965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 189,399 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $464,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Webster Financial by 4.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,296,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $289,165,000 after buying an additional 246,774 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,453,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $188,576,000 after acquiring an additional 438,131 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $131,780,000. Azora Capital LP grew its position in Webster Financial by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 1,886,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $102,997,000 after acquiring an additional 440,347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Webster Financial by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,652,636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $98,233,000 after purchasing an additional 39,878 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Santander downgraded Webster Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Webster Financial Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of WBS opened at $70.12 on Thursday. Webster Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $39.43 and a 1-year high of $74.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $67.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 1.03.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $760.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $731.95 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.67% and a return on equity of 11.10%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 27.07%.

Webster Financial Company Profile

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.