Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Lowered to "Buy" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

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

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of BWFG traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.31. The stock had a trading volume of 5,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,867. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.41. The firm has a market cap of $278.00 million, a P/E ratio of 29.92 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Bankwell Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $22.80 and a fifty-two week high of $36.00.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.14. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 4.76% and a return on equity of 3.48%. The business had revenue of $23.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.63 million.

Insider Activity

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, Director Eric J. Dale bought 875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $30.42 per share, with a total value of $26,617.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,176,706.44. The trade was a 2.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total transaction of $26,921.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,641.28. This trade represents a 34.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 19.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fourthstone LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 307.5% during the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 105,585 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,289,000 after acquiring an additional 79,673 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 174,584 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 40,458 shares during the period. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc acquired a new position in Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $682,000. GM Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 15.6% during the first quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 104,477 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 14,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 36,312 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 13,733 shares during the period. 35.80% of the stock is currently 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.