Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Waterstone Financial Trading Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ WSBF opened at $13.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $266.92 million, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial has a 12 month low of $10.60 and a 12 month high of $16.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.78 and a 200-day moving average of $14.44.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 59.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In other Waterstone Financial news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,687 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total transaction of $42,454.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,232.40. This trade represents a 3.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 32,472 shares of company stock valued at $480,119 in the last quarter. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Waterstone Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $291,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 242.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 14,737 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 33.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 7,310 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,108 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 13,819 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.