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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Waterstone Financial to “Hold” from “Buy,” although Weiss Ratings maintained a “buy (b)” rating and MarketBeat data shows a consensus “Buy” rating.
• Waterstone Financial reported quarterly earnings of $0.49 per share, missing the $0.66 consensus estimate, while revenue of $40.25 million fell well short of the $65.80 million forecast.
• The stock opened at $20.84, near its 52-week high of $21.14; institutional investors own 62.71% of shares, while CFO Mark Raymond Gerke recently sold 10,000 shares.

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of Waterstone Financial stock opened at $20.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $19.77 and a 200-day moving average of $18.69. Waterstone Financial has a 52-week low of $13.49 and a 52-week high of $21.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $40.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.66% and a net margin of 14.57%.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In other news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total value of $183,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $550,823.56. This trade represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 16.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 5,818 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 5,928 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 6.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Waterstone Financial

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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