Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Downgrade: Wall Street Zen cut Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) from a "buy" to a "hold," though the consensus rating is still a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $52 (two buys, two holds).
• Results & valuation: BWFG beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.41 vs. $1.23) while revenue was roughly in line; the stock trades near $52 with a market cap of about $416M and a PE of ~10.5.
• Insider and institutional activity: Directors Lawrence Seidman and Eric Dale made recent purchases (~$46–$47 per share), insiders were net buyers over the past 90 days, and institutional investors hold about 35.8% of the shares.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Hovde Group upped their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of BWFG stock opened at $52.16 on Friday. Bankwell Financial Group has a 52-week low of $33.20 and a 52-week high of $53.86. The stock has a market cap of $415.72 million, a PE ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $49.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.18. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business had revenue of $30.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.47 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Bankwell Financial Group will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In other news, Director Lawrence B. Seidman acquired 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $46.88 per share, for a total transaction of $468,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 216,904 shares in the company, valued at $10,168,459.52. This represents a 4.83% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Eric J. Dale acquired 612 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $46.00 per share, with a total value of $28,152.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 41,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,927,768. This trade represents a 1.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 26,816 shares of company stock valued at $1,256,874 and sold 11,897 shares valued at $592,523. 20.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BWFG. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 523.4% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,995 shares of the bank's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,675 shares during the period. 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 Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

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.

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