Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Douglas Gordon Sells 15,000 Shares

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Douglas Gordon sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.55, for a total value of $278,250.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 585,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,854,235.70. This represents a 2.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WSBF stock opened at $18.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $17.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.62. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.61 and a 52-week high of $18.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $333.20 million, a P/E ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 0.81.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 8th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting Waterstone Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Waterstone Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company paid its quarterly dividend ($0.15; $0.60 annualized, ~3.2–3.3% yield) on Feb. 2, supporting income-oriented holders. MarketBeat WSBF
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarterly results (announced Jan. 28) show $0.44 EPS and $37.17M revenue with a net margin ~12% — evidence of profitable operations that can undercut panic selling. MarketBeat WSBF
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: Weiss Ratings recently reiterated a buy, while others have trimmed to hold — consensus leans modestly positive but not unanimous. Analyst Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors own ~62.7% of shares, which can stabilize trading even when insiders sell significant blocks. Institutional Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares on Feb. 5 at an average $18.25 (SEC filing). The sale reduced his stake by ~3.2%. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Douglas S. Gordon also sold 15,000 shares on Feb. 4 at ~$18.55, trimming his position further. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Director Patrick S. Lawton executed multiple sales: 30,000 shares on Feb. 3 at $18.53 and another 19,255 shares reported on Feb. 4 at $18.64 — a large reduction (60.9% cut noted after the 30k sale). SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares on Feb. 2 at ~$18.19, leaving her with a materially smaller holding (reported ~70% reduction). SEC Filing

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSBF. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the second quarter valued at about $2,725,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the third quarter valued at about $920,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 30.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 44,618 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 176.7% in the 2nd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 63,194 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $873,000 after purchasing an additional 40,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 265.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 55,028 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 39,978 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSBF. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

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.