Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Issues Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Key Points

• Waterstone Financial reported quarterly EPS of $0.49, missing analyst estimates by $0.17, while revenue came in at $40.25 million versus expectations of $65.80 million.
• The company said it will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share on August 3, which annualizes to $0.68 and implies a 3.5% yield.
• Shares traded lower after the earnings release, and the article also noted a recent insider sale by CFO Mark Raymond Gerke, who sold 10,000 shares.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $40.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 8.48%.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $19.45. The stock had a trading volume of 70,194 shares, compared to its average volume of 64,593. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.41. Waterstone Financial has a twelve month low of $13.08 and a twelve month high of $21.03. The firm has a market cap of $351.13 million, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is 40.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total transaction of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,823.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised 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 worth $613,000 after buying an additional 6,512 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,818 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,928 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,618,000 after acquiring an additional 4,108 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 6.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WSBF. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

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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