Insider Buying: Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Buys $117,936.00 in Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman acquired 2,520 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $46.80 per share, for a total transaction of $117,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 200,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,371,419.20. This represents a 1.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of BWFG stock opened at $48.16 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $379.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.71. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.39 and a twelve month high of $51.54.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $30.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 16.94% and a return on equity of 12.40%.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Bankwell Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fourthstone LLC boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 266,865 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,615,000 after acquiring an additional 100,302 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,280,000. Nuveen LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 42,776 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 18,130 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $759,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $695,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

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.