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

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of 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 shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 51,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Waterstone Financial Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,657. Waterstone Financial has a 52-week low of $11.61 and a 52-week high of $16.86. The company has a market cap of $258.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.72. The firm's 50-day moving average is $12.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.48%. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is presently 58.82%.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSBF. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,773 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $365,000. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 17,516 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,628 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 33,715 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a 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.