Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock Price Passes Above 50-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $31.87 and traded as high as $35.35. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $35.17, with a volume of 6,970 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BWFG shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $32.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.58 million, a P/E ratio of 29.77 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Bankwell Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 50.96%.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In other news, Director Eric J. Dale purchased 875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $30.42 per share, for a total transaction of $26,617.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total value of $26,921.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,548 shares in the company, valued at $51,641.28. This represents a 34.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 19.48% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3,002.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 655.6% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,564 shares of the bank's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $148,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Bankwell Financial Group

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.