Teton Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in Waterstone Financial, Inc. $WSBF

Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 59,000 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBF. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $143,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 163.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,165 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $190,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.19, for a total transaction of $380,698.51. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165,001.49. This trade represents a 69.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 2,880 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total value of $52,156.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 556,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,083,159.03. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486 over the last 90 days. 7.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.6%

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $17.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.30. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $11.61 and a one year high of $18.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.57 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.81.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 13.12% and a return on equity of 7.67%. The firm had revenue of $37.17 million during the quarter.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 8th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.27%.

Waterstone Financial 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.