Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 14.28%.

Waterstone Financial Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock traded down $0.07 on Thursday, hitting $19.46. The stock had a trading volume of 71,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 64,777. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.26 and a 200 day moving average of $18.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.31 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.71. Waterstone Financial has a twelve month low of $13.08 and a twelve month high of $21.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on WSBF. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total transaction of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,823.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,117 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 3,527 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 109,950 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 11,228 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 35,828 shares during the period. State of Wisconsin Investment Board grew its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 33,500 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $554,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,480 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 4,826 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

About Waterstone Financial

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.