Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 27,135 Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 27,135 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock, valued at approximately $365,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.14% of Waterstone Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 462,234 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,795,000 after buying an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 17,516 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Waterstone Financial by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,773 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 26.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 71,039 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after purchasing an additional 14,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $763,000 after buying an additional 21,902 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

WSBF opened at $13.39 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.69 million, a P/E ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $13.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.31. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.60 and a 12-month high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 3,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.75, for a total value of $42,583.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $963,572.50. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total transaction of $38,715.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 30,334 shares in the company, valued at $428,922.76. This represents a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 66,669 shares of company stock worth $929,283 in the last 90 days. 8.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Waterstone Financial

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.