Insider Buying: Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Buys 323 Shares of Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman purchased 323 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $53.70 per share, with a total value of $17,345.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,844 shares in the company, valued at $260,122.80. The trade was a 7.14% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ:BWFG traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.97. 5,166 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,974. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.85 and a 12 month high of $55.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $438.11 million, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $51.55 and a 200 day moving average of $48.96.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.18. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 13.31%. The business had revenue of $30.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.47 million. On average, research analysts predict that Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 16.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BWFG has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bankwell Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BWFG. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 523.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,995 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $146,000. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, and serves as the parent company of Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Bank provides commercial, business and personal banking services, with branch locations primarily across Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut, along with a New York presence.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.