Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Short Interest Up 20.2% in May

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 88,200 shares, an increase of 20.2% from the April 30th total of 73,400 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 51,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Waterstone Financial Trading Up 0.6%

WSBF traded up $0.08 during trading on Thursday, reaching $13.16. 52,973 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,509. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.92 million, a PE ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial has a one year low of $11.61 and a one year high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $29.67 million for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. Waterstone Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSBF. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the first quarter worth about $476,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 29.8% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 5,928 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Waterstone Financial by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 83,591 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 5,818 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 45,595 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $218,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.