Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17), FiscalAI reports. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.57% and a return on equity of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.80 million.

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 3.1%

WSBF stock opened at $20.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.44. Waterstone Financial has a 12 month low of $13.08 and a 12 month high of $21.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $362.08 million, a PE ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.71.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.96%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 value of $183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,823.56. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSBF. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.9% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,060,000 after acquiring an additional 8,199 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,618,000 after buying an additional 4,108 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after buying an additional 35,828 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 199,702 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 71,143 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 30.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,634,000 after buying an additional 44,618 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on WSBF shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Waterstone Financial

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.