Lawrence Seidman Acquires 2,520 Shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman purchased 2,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $46.80 per share, for a total transaction of $117,936.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 200,244 shares in the company, valued at $9,371,419.20. The trade was a 1.27% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ BWFG opened at $47.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $373.59 million, a PE ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.39 and a 52-week high of $51.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.69.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $30.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 16.94%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,252 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,253 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 2,461 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $532,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 86.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 11,424 shares of the bank’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 5,297 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 52,255 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,394,000 after buying an additional 2,461 shares in the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BWFG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Hovde Group lifted their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.00.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.