Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Waterstone Financial from a “buy” to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.
• The stock traded up 0.9% to $18.72, near its 12-month high of $18.88, with a market cap of about $340 million.
• Recent results missed expectations: Waterstone reported $0.34 EPS versus $0.66 expected, and revenue of $35.69 million versus analysts’ $65.80 million estimate.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Waterstone Financial Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF opened at $18.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $339.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.74. Waterstone Financial has a 12-month low of $12.35 and a 12-month high of $18.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $18.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.14.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.32). Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business had revenue of $35.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.80 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 2,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total value of $52,156.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 556,773 shares in the company, valued at $10,083,159.03. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 30,924 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares during the period. Simplex Trading LLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 69.3% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 557.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Waterstone Financial by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $371,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc is a bank holding company based in Glendale, Wisconsin, that provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions. Its primary operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, Waterstone Bank, which offers deposit products, loan facilities and treasury management services. The company focuses on delivering relationship-based banking solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as retail customers.

In addition to traditional commercial and consumer banking, Waterstone Financial supports its clients with specialized financing, including real estate, equipment and asset-based lending.

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