Key Points
- Director Lawrence Seidman purchased 1,271 shares at $45.77 on March 6 (~$58,174), increasing his holdings to 200,564 shares, and several other directors made modest open‑market buys the same day—signaling insider buying.
- Bankwell beat expectations in its latest quarter with EPS of $1.36 vs. $1.20 expected and revenue of $30.32M vs. $28.06M, reporting a 12.21% return on equity and a 16.94% net margin.
- The company pays a $0.20 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.80, yield ~1.7%, DPR ~18%), and analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $52 price target.
Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) Director Jeffrey Dunne bought 357 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $46.00 per share, with a total value of $16,422.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 5,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $267,030. The trade was a 6.55% 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 Stock Performance
Shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock opened at $46.50 on Tuesday. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.39 and a 52 week high of $51.54. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $47.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.88. The firm has a market cap of $371.07 million, a PE ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.
Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $30.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 16.94%.
Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.02%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Hovde Group lifted their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Bankwell Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bankwell Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on Bankwell Financial Group
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group
Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 70.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 722 shares of the bank's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $50,000. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Bankwell Financial Group News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Bankwell Financial Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple directors increased holdings via open‑market purchases on March 6, signaling insider confidence — Lawrence B. Seidman bought 1,271 shares at $45.77 (~$58.2K), Eric J. Dale bought 612 shares at $46.00 (~$28.2K), Carl M. Porto bought 393 shares at $46.00 (~$18.1K), Blake S. Drexler bought 27 shares at $46.00 (~$1.2K), and Jeffrey R. Dunne bought 357 shares at $46.00 (~$16.4K). These are modest purchases but raise insider ownership and are typically viewed as supportive for the stock. Seidman Form 4 Dale Form 4 Porto Form 4 Drexler Form 4 Dunne Form 4
- Neutral Sentiment: Short interest reported at essentially 0 shares as of March 9 (short-interest ratio 0.0 days), indicating few or no outstanding short positions — reduces likelihood of short-driven volatility but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. MarketBeat BWFG
Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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