Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock opened at $13.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $260.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $13.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial has a 1-year low of $10.60 and a 1-year high of $16.86.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 14,928 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.80, for a total value of $206,006.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $967,076.40. The trade was a 17.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $689,307.93. This represents a 43.29 % 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. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBF. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 31,552 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,187 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $325,000 after buying an additional 3,363 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 431,520 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,800,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

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.