StockNews.com Upgrades Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Waterstone Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $13.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $269.09 million, a PE ratio of 13.75 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $13.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.42. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $10.60 and a 52 week high of $16.86. 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 (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $689,307.93. This trade represents a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total value of $38,715.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $428,922.76. The trade was a 8.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 67,147 shares of company stock worth $936,511. 8.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBF. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 165.0% in the 3rd quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 90,826 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 56,554 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $504,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,628 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 33,715 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 205,165 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,016,000 after purchasing an additional 33,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $365,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.