Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Short Interest Down 19.2% in December

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) saw a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 131,437 shares, a decline of 19.2% from the December 15th total of 162,603 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 56,490 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Based on an average trading volume of 56,490 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WSBF. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $17.50 on Monday. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $11.61 and a 52 week high of $17.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $323.05 million, a PE ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.19.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $37.04 million for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 12.08%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.11%.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Michael L. Hansen sold 79,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total transaction of $1,210,859.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 7.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSBF. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waterstone Financial in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the second quarter worth about $28,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.