Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Sells $13,271.41 in Stock

Key Points

• Michael L. Hansen, a director of Waterstone Financial, sold 961 shares at an average price of $13.81, reducing his holdings to 149,115 shares.
• Waterstone Financial announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 4.35%, payable on August 1st.
• Analysts downgraded Waterstone Financial from a "buy" to a "hold" rating on April 25th, reflecting a shift in market sentiment.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) Director Michael L. Hansen sold 961 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total value of $13,271.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 149,115 shares in the company, valued at $2,059,278.15. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.31. 45,814 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 50,973. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.61 and a 52-week high of $16.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $256.88 million, a PE ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.31. The business's fifty day moving average price is $13.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.30.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 8th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 8th. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is currently 52.63%.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 1.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 77,942 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,048,000 after buying an additional 1,195 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 0.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 154,347 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,055 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 16,614.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 2,326 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 31,552 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.