Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waterstone Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WSBF opened at $20.12 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $363.17 million, a PE ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 0.71. Waterstone Financial has a 12 month low of $13.08 and a 12 month high of $21.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $19.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.47.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17). Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.66% and a net margin of 14.57%.The business had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.80 million.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.53%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

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

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 30.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,200 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 10,612 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 11.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 122,380 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,207,000 after buying an additional 12,430 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 141,411 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 12,808 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 48,012 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 2,037 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 43,647 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $787,000 after buying an additional 22,010 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

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.