Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF opened at $13.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.48. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $10.60 and a 52 week high of $16.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $266.92 million, a P/E ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $13.78 and its 200 day moving average is $14.44.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. 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 (DPR) is presently 59.41%.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 14,928 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.80, for a total value of $206,006.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $967,076.40. This trade represents a 17.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 32,472 shares of company stock valued at $480,119 over the last ninety days. 8.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the third quarter valued at about $291,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 242.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 14,737 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 33.6% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 79.9% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,108 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,819 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.