Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Price Target Raised to $55.00

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) had its price target increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $53.00 to $55.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on BWFG. Hovde Group lifted their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock opened at $50.48 on Monday. Bankwell Financial Group has a 12 month low of $26.39 and a 12 month high of $51.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $397.78 million, a P/E ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.42.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 16.94%.The business had revenue of $30.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.06 million.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bankwell Financial Group

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, Director Eric J. Dale acquired 746 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $47.64 per share, for a total transaction of $35,539.44. Following the acquisition, the director owned 41,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,967,341.44. This represents a 1.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine Chivily sold 2,553 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.52, for a total transaction of $116,212.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,939 shares in the company, valued at $634,503.28. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 2,208 shares of company stock valued at $105,212 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 19.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BWFG. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 93,233 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,357,000 after buying an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 60.2% in the second quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 266,865 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,615,000 after acquiring an additional 100,302 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $50,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 70.7% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 722 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, GM Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.6% in the second quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 105,066 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,786,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares during the period. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.