Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• Waterstone Financial reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.45 with a net margin of 10.47% and a return on equity of 6.07%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with an annualized dividend of $0.60 and a yield of 4.1%, payable on November 3rd.
• Insider selling activity saw Director Michael L. Hansen sell 109,527 shares, reducing his ownership significantly, while institutional investors and hedge funds now hold 62.71% of Waterstone Financial's stock.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, Zacks reports. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 10.47% and a return on equity of 6.07%.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $14.81. 34,989 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 52,597. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $14.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.73. The stock has a market cap of $276.65 million, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.77. Waterstone Financial has a one year low of $11.61 and a one year high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 8th. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is presently 52.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In other Waterstone Financial news, Director Michael L. Hansen sold 109,527 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total transaction of $1,538,854.35. Following the sale, the director owned 1,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651.05. The trade was a 98.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 148,535 shares of company stock worth $2,081,409 over the last quarter. Insiders own 7.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the second quarter worth $28,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the second quarter worth $138,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 29.8% in 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. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 6.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 1,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

About Waterstone Financial

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.

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