Lawrence Seidman Buys 10,000 Shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman purchased 10,000 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $46.88 per share, with a total value of $468,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 212,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,976,954.72. The trade was a 4.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

BWFG stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.83. The company had a trading volume of 2,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,545. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.39 and a 1-year high of $51.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $373.69 million, a PE ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.67.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its 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 the consensus estimate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 18.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 5.5% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 93,233 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $4,280,000. Fourthstone LLC increased its position 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 valued at $9,615,000 after buying an additional 100,302 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BWFG. Hovde Group boosted their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.00.

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.