John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Waterstone Financial, Inc. $WSBF

Key Points

• John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 44.9%, ending the quarter with 51,100 shares valued at approximately $706,000.
• Several hedge funds increased their stakes in Waterstone Financial, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its position by an impressive 16,614.3%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, set to be paid on November 3rd, representing a 4.1% dividend yield.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Free Report) by 44.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 51,100 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after selling 41,611 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. owned about 0.26% of Waterstone Financial worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 16,614.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,326 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 297.4% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,187 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Waterstone Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $198,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Waterstone Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Michael L. Hansen sold 109,527 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total transaction of $1,538,854.35. Following the sale, the director owned 1,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,651.05. This trade represents a 98.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 185,000 shares of company stock worth $2,585,720. 7.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF opened at $14.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $274.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 0.77. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.61 and a 12 month high of $16.86. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $14.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.69.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $38.04 million for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 10.47% and a return on equity of 6.07%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Waterstone Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.63%.

About Waterstone Financial

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.

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