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

Key Points

• Bankwell Financial Group has been upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting increased analyst confidence in the stock.
• Several brokerages have recently revised their ratings and price objectives for Bankwell, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Hovde Group setting new price targets of $42.00.
• The company reported a significant earnings surprise, with an EPS of $1.15 that beat estimates by $0.28, showcasing robust financial performance.

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BWFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $38.50 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

BWFG stock traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.36. 6,533 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,134. Bankwell Financial Group has a one year low of $25.40 and a one year high of $41.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $309.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $36.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.28. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The company had revenue of $47.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.20 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, insider Ryan Jason Hildebrand sold 2,051 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.69, for a total transaction of $81,404.19. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,334 shares in the company, valued at $132,326.46. This represents a 38.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders bought 1,306 shares of company stock valued at $46,585 and sold 3,722 shares valued at $142,892. 19.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $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 4th quarter worth $104,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the first quarter valued at about $148,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group in the first quarter valued at about $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.80% of the company's stock.

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.