Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 70,700 shares, a decline of 32.2% from the February 13th total of 104,300 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 50,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

WSBF stock opened at $13.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $13.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.37. Waterstone Financial has a 12-month low of $10.60 and a 12-month high of $16.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $267.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 5.75%.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is 59.41%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,195 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.76, for a total value of $30,203.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $964,273.28. This trade represents a 3.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total transaction of $526,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $689,307.93. The trade was a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,669 shares of company stock valued at $929,283. Insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the third quarter valued at about $291,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 74,068 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 3,752 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 79.9% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,108 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 13,819 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.4% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 205,165 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,016,000 after buying an additional 33,305 shares during the period. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 165.0% during the third quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 90,826 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 56,554 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.