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

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

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of WSBF traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.78. 42,106 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 57,346. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $10.60 and a 52 week high of $16.86. The company has a market cap of $266.92 million, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.78 and a 200 day simple 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 earnings per share 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 other Waterstone Financial news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 4,209 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.04, for a total value of $67,512.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,124,051.12. The trade was a 5.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,472 shares of company stock valued at $480,119. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 242.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 14,737 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 73.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $763,000 after purchasing an additional 21,902 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,799 shares during the last quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 165.0% in the 3rd quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 90,826 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 56,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 33.6% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,310 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.