Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 288,871 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 7,363 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 3.68% of Bankwell Financial Group worth $8,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 174,584 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,438,000 after buying an additional 40,458 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 36,312 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,131,000 after acquiring an additional 13,733 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 164.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,638 shares of the bank's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 7,238 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $624,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,781 shares of the bank's stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 6,710 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, Director Eric J. Dale acquired 875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $30.42 per share, with a total value of $26,617.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,682 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,706.44. The trade was a 2.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ BWFG opened at $34.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.80 and a 12 month high of $35.25. The company has a market cap of $269.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.89.

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

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Bankwell Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 50.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BWFG. StockNews.com raised shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

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.

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