EJF Capital LLC Acquires 21,292 Shares of Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

EJF Capital LLC grew its holdings in Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) by 195.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,292 shares during the period. EJF Capital LLC’s holdings in Webster Financial were worth $1,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $578,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Webster Financial by 959.3% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 358,294 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 324,471 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the third quarter worth about $1,991,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,780,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Webster Financial during the third quarter valued at $1,786,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Trading Down 1.7%

WBS opened at $72.00 on Friday. Webster Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $39.43 and a 52 week high of $74.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.29. The firm has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 1.07.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. Webster Financial had a net margin of 22.67% and a return on equity of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $760.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $731.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Santander cut Webster Financial to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 target price on Webster Financial in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Webster Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.36.

Webster Financial 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.