Key Points
- Waterstone Financial CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares on May 21 at an average price of $18.34, totaling $183,400. After the sale, he still held 30,034 shares, a 24.98% reduction in his direct ownership.
- The company recently reported weak quarterly earnings, posting $0.34 EPS versus the $0.66 consensus estimate and revenue of $35.69 million versus the expected $65.80 million.
- Waterstone Financial also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.17 per share from $0.15, implying an annualized dividend of $0.68 and a yield of 3.7%.
Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total transaction of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,034 shares in the company, valued at $550,823.56. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Waterstone Financial Price Performance
Shares of Waterstone Financial stock opened at $18.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $330.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.74. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.49 and a 1-year high of $18.88. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $18.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.37.
Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $35.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 14.28%.
Waterstone Financial Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 8th. This is a positive change from Waterstone Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Waterstone Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.96%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial
Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Simplex Trading LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 69.3% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $126,000. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WSBF
About Waterstone Financial
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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