Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Patrick Lawton Sells 19,255 Shares of Stock

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Patrick Lawton sold 19,255 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.64, for a total value of $358,913.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $18.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $339.85 million, a P/E ratio of 13.95 and a beta of 0.81. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.61 and a 1 year high of $18.88.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 63,248 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 6,750 shares during the last quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $166,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,152 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,987 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 21,637 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 4,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $126,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSBF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Waterstone Financial currently 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.