Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock opened at $17.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.63 and a 200 day moving average of $16.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.81. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $11.61 and a fifty-two week high of $18.88.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $37.17 million for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 7.67% and a net margin of 13.12%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $341,567.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 566,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,337,128.50. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.53, for a total value of $555,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $356,795.15. This trade represents a 60.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 106,780 shares of company stock worth $1,967,486 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Waterstone Financial by 1.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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. Fourthstone LLC increased its stake in Waterstone Financial by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 199,702 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after buying an additional 71,143 shares during the period. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,725,000. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.