Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 0.9%

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $18.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $339.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.74. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $12.35 and a 52 week high of $18.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $18.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.32). Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm had revenue of $35.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.80 million.

Waterstone Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. This is an increase from Waterstone Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 40.96%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 2,880 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total value of $52,156.80. Following the sale, the director owned 556,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,083,159.03. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 35,828 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 199,702 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 71,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,634,000 after purchasing an additional 44,618 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc is a bank holding company based in Glendale, Wisconsin, that provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions. Its primary operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, Waterstone Bank, which offers deposit products, loan facilities and treasury management services. The company focuses on delivering relationship-based banking solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as retail customers.

In addition to traditional commercial and consumer banking, Waterstone Financial supports its clients with specialized financing, including real estate, equipment and asset-based lending.