Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock opened at $13.45 on Friday. Waterstone Financial has a 52-week low of $10.60 and a 52-week high of $16.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.84 and a 200 day moving average of $14.28. The company has a market capitalization of $259.85 million, a P/E ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.46%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is 59.41%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 14,928 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.80, for a total transaction of $206,006.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $967,076.40. This represents a 17.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $689,307.93. This represents a 43.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 66,669 shares of company stock valued at $929,283. Insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSBF. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 2,055 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $143,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 242.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 14,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 108.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 21,882 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 11,395 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

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.