Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

WSBF opened at $13.75 on Tuesday. Waterstone Financial has a 12 month low of $10.60 and a 12 month high of $16.86. The company has a market cap of $266.38 million, a PE ratio of 13.61 and a beta of 0.64. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $13.75 and a 200 day moving average of $14.44.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted its quarterly 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 Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 7,280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.34, for a total value of $111,675.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,074,996.52. This represents a 9.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 28,263 shares of company stock valued at $412,607. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 17,516 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $365,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 5.0% during 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 during the last quarter. 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. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 242.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 14,737 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.