StockNews.com Downgrades Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) to Hold

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 1.3 %

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $13.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $260.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $10.60 and a fifty-two week high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,195 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,273.28. This represents a 3.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total value of $38,715.32. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,922.76. This trade represents a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 66,669 shares of company stock worth $929,283 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSBF. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 108.7% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 21,882 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 11,395 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Waterstone Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $143,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Waterstone Financial by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 37,220 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $500,000 after buying an additional 3,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 431,520 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,800,000 after buying an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

About Waterstone Financial

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.