Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Short Interest Up 10.5% in January

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 103,000 shares, a growth of 10.5% from the December 31st total of 93,200 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

Bankwell Financial Group stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $31.16. 13,654 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,803. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.77. The firm has a market cap of $244.89 million, a P/E ratio of 26.41 and a beta of 0.88. Bankwell Financial Group has a 1-year low of $22.47 and a 1-year high of $35.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.33). Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.48% and a net margin of 4.76%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 11th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin D. Leitao purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $30.38 per share, with a total value of $60,760.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,710. This represents a 80.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 1,330 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.98, for a total value of $43,863.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,005.96. This represents a 30.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 4,975 shares of company stock valued at $157,977. 19.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,890 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 164.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,638 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 7,238 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,642 shares of the bank’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 938 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,781 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 6,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $624,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bankwell Bank that provides various banking services for individual and commercial customers. It offers various traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family owner occupied residential properties for personal use; home equity loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties; loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family dwellings, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and investor-owned one-to-four family dwellings; commercial construction loans for commercial development projects, including apartment buildings and condominiums, as well as office buildings, retail, and other income producing properties; land loans; commercial business loans secured by assignments of corporate assets and personal guarantees of the business owners; loans to finance insurance premiums; overdraft lines of credit; and unsecured personal loans.