Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from hold to buy, reinforcing a generally positive analyst stance on the stock.
• The company also received a buy (b) rating from Weiss Ratings, and MarketBeat says the current consensus rating is Buy.
• Waterstone Financial recently reported Q2 earnings of $0.49 per share, missing expectations of $0.66, while revenue came in at $40.25 million versus the $65.80 million forecast.

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

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

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $20.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $362.08 million, a PE ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Waterstone Financial has a 1-year low of $13.08 and a 1-year high of $21.03. The business's 50 day moving average is $19.33 and its 200-day moving average is $18.44.

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

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In related news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total transaction of $183,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares in the company, valued at $550,823.56. This trade represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WSBF. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 35,828 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 199,702 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 71,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,634,000 after purchasing an additional 44,618 shares during the last quarter. 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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