Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of BWFG traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $35.75. 18,263 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,041. Bankwell Financial Group has a 52 week low of $22.80 and a 52 week high of $36.00. The company has a market cap of $281.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.63 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.60% and a net margin of 6.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total transaction of $26,921.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,641.28. This represents a 34.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 1,306 shares of company stock valued at $46,585. 19.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3,002.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 655.6% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,564 shares of the bank's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,357 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $104,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the first quarter worth about $148,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bankwell Bank that provides various banking services for individual and commercial customers. It offers various traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family owner occupied residential properties for personal use; home equity loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties; loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family dwellings, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and investor-owned one-to-four family dwellings; commercial construction loans for commercial development projects, including apartment buildings and condominiums, as well as office buildings, retail, and other income producing properties; land loans; commercial business loans secured by assignments of corporate assets and personal guarantees of the business owners; loans to finance insurance premiums; overdraft lines of credit; and unsecured personal loans.