GM Advisory Group LLC Acquires 14,119 Shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. $BWFG

Key Points

• GM Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 15.6%, now holding 104,477 shares valued at approximately $3.15 million.
• Bankwell Financial Group has experienced recent analyst actions, including a downgrade from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating and an increased target price from $40.00 to $42.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, yielding 2.0% annually, with a payout ratio currently at 31.01%.

GM Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,477 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 14,119 shares during the period. GM Advisory Group LLC owned approximately 1.33% of Bankwell Financial Group worth $3,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at $244,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,636 shares of the bank's stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 2.6% during the first quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 179,127 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,406,000 after purchasing an additional 4,543 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the first quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 25.3% in the first quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,118 shares of the bank's stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 5,077 shares during the period. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock traded up $1.66 on Friday, hitting $41.67. 59,684 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,104. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.39 and a 12-month high of $41.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $327.94 million, a PE ratio of 16.15 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $38.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.98.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.28. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.44% and a net margin of 10.27%.The business had revenue of $47.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.20 million.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. Bankwell Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BWFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Hovde Group raised their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $38.50 to $42.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Thursday, June 26th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.00.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, insider Ryan Jason Hildebrand sold 2,051 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.69, for a total value of $81,404.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $132,326.46. The trade was a 38.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 1,306 shares of company stock valued at $46,585 and sold 3,722 shares valued at $142,892. Insiders own 19.48% 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.