Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Trading Up 0.1%

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $16.06 on Friday. Waterstone Financial has a 1 year low of $11.61 and a 1 year high of $16.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.47 million, a P/E ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.35 and a 200-day moving average of $14.50.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $37.04 million during the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 12.08%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waterstone Financial news, Director Michael L. Hansen sold 79,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total transaction of $1,210,859.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waterstone Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 297.4% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,187 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $138,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.