Insider Buying: Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Purchases $58,173.67 in Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman acquired 1,271 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $45.77 per share, for a total transaction of $58,173.67. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 200,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,179,814.28. The trade was a 0.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:BWFG opened at $46.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $372.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.92. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.39 and a 1 year high of $51.54.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $30.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 16.94%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 70.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 722 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Hovde Group upped their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bankwell Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

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.