Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.32 EPS

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.32), Zacks reports. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 13.12% and a return on equity of 7.67%. The firm had revenue of $35.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

WSBF stock traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $17.86. 13,087 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 58,359. Waterstone Financial has a 12 month low of $11.91 and a 12 month high of $18.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $18.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $324.26 million, a PE ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Waterstone Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. This is an increase from Waterstone Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is presently 45.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $341,567.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 566,418 shares in the company, valued at $10,337,128.50. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.53, for a total value of $555,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,255 shares in the company, valued at $356,795.15. This represents a 60.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486. 7.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Waterstone Financial by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,117 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 3,527 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 109,950 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 11,228 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,338,000 after buying an additional 35,828 shares in the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 33,500 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $554,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,480 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 4,826 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WSBF shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waterstone Financial 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.