Insider Buying: Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Purchases 1,600 Shares of Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman acquired 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.11 per share, with a total value of $76,976.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 195,151 shares in the company, valued at $9,388,714.61. This trade represents a 0.83% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

BWFG traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.90. 3,425 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,022. The stock has a market capitalization of $385.32 million, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.70. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.39 and a 52-week high of $51.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $48.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.05). Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 16.94% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The company had revenue of $30.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.06 million.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Hovde Group boosted their price objective on Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BWFG. Fourthstone LLC increased its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 60.2% in the second quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 266,865 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,615,000 after purchasing an additional 100,302 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $4,280,000. Nuveen LLC lifted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 73.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 42,776 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 18,130 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $759,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $695,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.