Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Waterstone Financial currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $17.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $320.57 million, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.22. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $11.61 and a fifty-two week high of $18.88.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is 40.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total value of $341,567.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 566,418 shares in the company, valued at $10,337,128.50. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.53, for a total transaction of $555,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,255 shares in the company, valued at $356,795.15. The trade was a 60.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 106,780 shares of company stock worth $1,967,486. Corporate insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 45,595 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 83,591 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 5,818 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 5,928 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Waterstone Financial by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 15,840 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 1,135 shares during the period. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,725,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Waterstone Financial

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.