Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the bank’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price suggests a potential upside of 10.69% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Hovde Group upped their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 1.5%

BWFG opened at $49.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Bankwell Financial Group has a one year low of $26.39 and a one year high of $51.54. The company has a market cap of $391.56 million, a P/E ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.38.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $30.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 16.94% and a return on equity of 12.40%.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, EVP Christine Chivily sold 2,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.52, for a total transaction of $116,212.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $634,503.28. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eric J. Dale bought 746 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $47.64 per share, for a total transaction of $35,539.44. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 41,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,967,341.44. The trade was a 1.84% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 2,208 shares of company stock valued at $105,212. 19.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BWFG. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 21,262 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the first quarter valued at about $250,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $148,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 93,233 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 159,384 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,744,000 after buying an additional 8,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small‐ to mid‐sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision‐making.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.