Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.2%

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $20.84 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $19.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Waterstone Financial has a twelve month low of $13.49 and a twelve month high of $21.14. The company has a market capitalization of $376.16 million, a P/E ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.53%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total value of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,823.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Simplex Trading LLC raised its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 944 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $126,000. 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.