Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 14.28%.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

WSBF traded down $0.08 on Thursday, reaching $19.45. The stock had a trading volume of 70,194 shares, compared to its average volume of 64,593. Waterstone Financial has a 12-month low of $13.08 and a 12-month high of $21.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $19.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.41. The company has a market cap of $351.13 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.96%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total transaction of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,823.56. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Simplex Trading LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 69.3% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $138,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSBF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Waterstone Financial presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Waterstone Financial

Waterstone Financial, Inc is a bank holding company based in Glendale, Wisconsin, that provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions. Its primary operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, Waterstone Bank, which offers deposit products, loan facilities and treasury management services. The company focuses on delivering relationship-based banking solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as retail customers.

In addition to traditional commercial and consumer banking, Waterstone Financial supports its clients with specialized financing, including real estate, equipment and asset-based lending.