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

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

WSBF opened at $12.41 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $13.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.18. Waterstone Financial has a 12-month low of $10.60 and a 12-month high of $16.86. The firm has a market cap of $239.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.63. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 5.75%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 14,928 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.80, for a total value of $206,006.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $967,076.40. The trade was a 17.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total transaction of $526,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $689,307.93. This trade represents a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 66,669 shares of company stock valued at $929,283. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSBF. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 26.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 71,039 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after buying an additional 14,919 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 462,234 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,795,000 after acquiring an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,310 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 14,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 73.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 21,902 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waterstone Financial

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.