Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Upgraded at Hovde Group

Hovde Group upgraded shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $38.50 price target on the bank’s stock, up from their prior price target of $35.00.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Bankwell Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Down 1.3%

NASDAQ BWFG opened at $35.30 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.81 million, a P/E ratio of 22.48 and a beta of 0.67. Bankwell Financial Group has a 52 week low of $22.80 and a 52 week high of $36.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $34.13 and a 200-day moving average of $31.69.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.63 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 6.33% and a return on equity of 4.60%.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.96%.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total value of $26,921.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,641.28. This trade represents a 34.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 1,306 shares of company stock valued at $46,585. 19.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3,002.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 655.6% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,564 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $104,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the first quarter worth approximately $148,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Institutional investors own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bankwell Bank that provides various banking services for individual and commercial customers. It offers various traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family owner occupied residential properties for personal use; home equity loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties; loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family dwellings, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and investor-owned one-to-four family dwellings; commercial construction loans for commercial development projects, including apartment buildings and condominiums, as well as office buildings, retail, and other income producing properties; land loans; commercial business loans secured by assignments of corporate assets and personal guarantees of the business owners; loans to finance insurance premiums; overdraft lines of credit; and unsecured personal loans.