Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock Breaks Below Fifty Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.25 and traded as low as $19.66. Waterstone Financial shares last traded at $20.16, with a volume of 50,545 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WSBF shares. Wall Street Zen cut Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Trading Down 1.7%

The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.28. The company has a market cap of $362.48 million, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.76.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 8th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.53%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 35,852 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 3,974 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 37,797 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 10,596 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 78,020 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the third quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 146.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 45,949 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 27,289 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc. is a savings and loan holding company headquartered in Wisconsin. Its principal subsidiary, WaterStone Bank, is a community bank that provides banking and lending services to individuals, families, businesses and real estate investors. WaterStone Bank offers deposit products such as checking, savings, money market and certificate accounts, along with residential mortgage loans, home equity financing, commercial real estate loans, business loans and consumer lending. The bank also provides digital banking and other standard financial services through its branch network and electronic channels.