Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Buys $35,568.30 in Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Eric Dale bought 530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.11 per share, with a total value of $35,568.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,887,474.86. This trade represents a 1.25% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of BWFG stock opened at $68.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $546.50 million, a PE ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.57 and a 200-day moving average of $56.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $40.44 and a one year high of $69.59.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The bank reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.23. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The business had revenue of $32.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.63 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Hovde Group lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings raised Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $37,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 523.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,995 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares during the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, and serves as the parent company of Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Bank provides commercial, business and personal banking services, with branch locations primarily across Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut, along with a New York presence.

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.