Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Sells $358,913.20 in Stock

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Patrick Lawton sold 19,255 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.64, for a total value of $358,913.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock traded down $0.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 23,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,060. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.61 and a 52 week high of $18.88. The company has a market capitalization of $336.71 million, a PE ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.57.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $37.17 million for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 6.99%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSBF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waterstone Financial presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WSBF. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $2,725,000. Teton Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waterstone Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $920,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,634,000 after buying an additional 44,618 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 176.7% during the second quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 63,194 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $873,000 after buying an additional 40,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 265.6% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 55,028 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $768,000 after buying an additional 39,978 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.