Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $13.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $266.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50 day moving average of $13.75 and a 200 day moving average of $14.44. 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 1-year low of $10.60 and a 1-year high of $16.86.

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

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 7,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.34, for a total value of $111,675.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,074,996.52. This trade represents a 9.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,263 shares of company stock worth $412,607. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 242.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 14,737 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 73.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 21,902 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 462,234 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,799 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 165.0% during the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 56,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 7,310 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.