Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases New Shares in Webster Financial Corporation $WBS

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $578,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBS. Curi Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 0.3% during the second quarter. Curi Capital LLC now owns 68,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,740,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Webster Financial by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $882,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Webster Financial by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 6,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Webster Financial by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, F m Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $450,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WBS. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Webster Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.46.

More Webster Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Webster Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Definitive merger announced — Banco Santander will acquire Webster in a cash-and-stock transaction that values the deal at about $12.3B; Webster shareholders will receive $48.75 in cash plus 2.0548 Santander ADS per Webster share, creating an immediate takeover premium that likely pushed WBS higher. Webster Financial Corporation Enters Into Merger Agreement With Banco Santander, S.A. for $12.3 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic rationale — Santander’s purchase is framed as a move to build U.S. retail scale (top‑ten U.S. retail lender), which supports the market’s positive reaction to the combination’s strategic benefits. Santander to Buy Webster Bank in $12.2 Billion Deal to Build Top-Ten U.S. Retail Lender
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal structure mixes cash and Santander ADS — part of the transaction value moves with Santander’s ADS price, so post-announcement value for Webster holders is partly exposed to SAN market moves. Banco Santander to acquire Webster Financial in ~$12.3B cash-and-stock deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading was temporarily halted when the deal news was pending — a routine market response that concentrated volume and contributed to volatility when trading resumed.
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder lawsuits / investigations announced — at least two investor‑rights firms (Ademi LLP and Halper Sadeh LLC) say they’re investigating whether the sale price is fair, creating potential legal scrutiny or pressure that can prolong the timeline or affect perceived deal value. Shareholder Alert: The Ademi Firm investigates whether Webster Financial Corporation is obtaining a Fair Price for its Public Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Additional investigation from Halper Sadeh LLC highlights further legal risk that could lead to challenges or demands for a higher bid, creating downside risk or timeline uncertainty. WBS Stock Alert: Halper Sadeh LLC is Investigating Whether the Sale of Webster Financial Corporation is Fair to Shareholders

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In other Webster Financial news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.45, for a total value of $443,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 231,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,857,302.40. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Webster Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WBS stock opened at $71.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $63.91 and a 200-day moving average of $60.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Webster Financial Corporation has a one year low of $39.43 and a one year high of $73.50.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.59 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $731.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Webster Financial Corporation will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Webster Financial’s payout ratio is currently 27.07%.

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.