Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Raises Dividend to $0.17 Per Share

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be given a dividend of 0.17 per share by the savings and loans company on Friday, May 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 8th. This is a 13.3% increase from Waterstone Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15.

Waterstone Financial has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

WSBF opened at $17.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Waterstone Financial has a 12-month low of $11.61 and a 12-month high of $18.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $326.26 million, a PE ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 0.81.

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

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In related news, EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.19, for a total value of $380,698.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,071 shares in the company, valued at $165,001.49. The trade was a 69.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 2,880 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total transaction of $52,156.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 556,773 shares in the company, valued at $10,083,159.03. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486 in the last 90 days. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,117 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 3,527 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 109,950 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 11,228 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 35,828 shares in the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 33,500 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,480 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 4,826 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

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.