Western New England Bancorp (WNEB) - What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Western New England Bancorp, with three hold ratings and one buy rating; the average 12-month price target is $15.50 versus a recent share price of $13.75.
• WNEB’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.32 per share versus the $0.26 estimate and revenue of $23.9 million versus $23.4 million. Net income nearly doubled year over year to $6.3 million, supported by higher net interest income and an improved margin.
• The company authorized a repurchase of up to 1 million shares and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07, while institutional investors own nearly 68% of the stock; however, recent insider selling and no reported insider purchases may weigh on sentiment.

Western New England Bancorp (NASDAQ:WNEB - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the four ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.50.

WNEB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Western New England Bancorp from $15.00 to $15.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Western New England Bancorp in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Western New England Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Western New England Bancorp from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western New England Bancorp

In related news, Director Philip Smith sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.88, for a total transaction of $45,804.00. Following the sale, the director owned 5,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,504. This trade represents a 36.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western New England Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WNEB. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Western New England Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $26,266,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western New England Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,636,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Western New England Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,516,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Western New England Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $968,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Western New England Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $829,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.95% of the company's stock.

Key Western New England Bancorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Western New England Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings rose to $0.32 per diluted share from $0.16 a year earlier, exceeding the $0.26 analyst consensus. Revenue was $23.9 million, also above the $23.4 million estimate. Western New England Bancorp Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Net income reached $6.3 million, compared with $3.2 million in the prior-year quarter. Net interest income increased 10.5% to $20.0 million, while net interest margin improved to 3.07% from 2.81%; deposits also grew to approximately $2.4 billion. Western New England Bancorp Reports Third-Quarter Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: WNEB authorized a share-repurchase program for up to 1.0 million shares, or about 5% of shares outstanding. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share, equivalent to a $0.28 annualized payout and an indicated yield of about 2.1%. The buyback and dividend may support shareholder returns and earnings per share. Western New England Bancorp Reports Results and Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The dividend is payable November 25 to shareholders of record November 11, with November 10 as the ex-dividend date. This provides income support but may have limited immediate impact on valuation. Western New England Bancorp Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity included sales by three insiders and no reported purchases over the past six months. While not directly tied to operating performance, the selling could temper investor enthusiasm. Western New England Bancorp Insider Activity

Western New England Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of WNEB stock opened at $13.75 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.60. The company has a market cap of $275.69 million, a P/E ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Western New England Bancorp has a twelve month low of $11.08 and a twelve month high of $15.01.

Western New England Bancorp (NASDAQ:WNEB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.40 million. Western New England Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 12.43%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Western New England Bancorp will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western New England Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. Western New England Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

About Western New England Bancorp

Western New England Bancorp, Inc is the bank holding company for Westfield Bank, a community bank headquartered in Westfield, Massachusetts. The company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses, nonprofit organizations and municipalities.

Westfield Bank offers deposit products, residential and commercial real estate lending, commercial and industrial loans, consumer loans, home equity financing and other credit services. Its services also include online and mobile banking, cash management, electronic payments and wealth management solutions.

Founded in 1853, Westfield Bank has a long history of serving communities in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.

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