Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Hovde Group lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of BWFG stock opened at $51.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $411.81 million, a PE ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $48.91 and its 200-day moving average is $47.25. Bankwell Financial Group has a 1 year low of $32.19 and a 1 year high of $53.86.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $30.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.47 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 13.53% and a net margin of 18.71%. Equities analysts expect that Bankwell Financial Group will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 16.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, CEO Christopher R. Gruseke sold 5,056 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.79, for a total transaction of $251,738.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 172,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,571,199.13. This trade represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lawrence B. Seidman acquired 10,000 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $46.88 per share, with a total value of $468,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 216,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,168,459.52. The trade was a 4.83% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 26,816 shares of company stock valued at $1,256,874 and have sold 11,897 shares valued at $592,523. 20.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 523.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,995 shares of the bank’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

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.