Douglas Gordon Sells 15,000 Shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Douglas Gordon sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.55, for a total value of $278,250.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 585,134 shares in the company, valued at $10,854,235.70. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Waterstone Financial Trading Down 1.4%

WSBF opened at $18.05 on Friday. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.61 and a 12 month high of $18.88. The firm has a market cap of $333.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $37.17 million during the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 12.08%.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 45.11%.

Waterstone Financial News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waterstone Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company paid its quarterly dividend ($0.15; $0.60 annualized, ~3.2–3.3% yield) on Feb. 2, supporting income-oriented holders. MarketBeat WSBF
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarterly results (announced Jan. 28) show $0.44 EPS and $37.17M revenue with a net margin ~12% — evidence of profitable operations that can undercut panic selling. MarketBeat WSBF
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: Weiss Ratings recently reiterated a buy, while others have trimmed to hold — consensus leans modestly positive but not unanimous. Analyst Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors own ~62.7% of shares, which can stabilize trading even when insiders sell significant blocks. Institutional Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares on Feb. 5 at an average $18.25 (SEC filing). The sale reduced his stake by ~3.2%. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Douglas S. Gordon also sold 15,000 shares on Feb. 4 at ~$18.55, trimming his position further. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Director Patrick S. Lawton executed multiple sales: 30,000 shares on Feb. 3 at $18.53 and another 19,255 shares reported on Feb. 4 at $18.64 — a large reduction (60.9% cut noted after the 30k sale). SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares on Feb. 2 at ~$18.19, leaving her with a materially smaller holding (reported ~70% reduction). SEC Filing

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 1.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,618,000 after buying an additional 4,108 shares in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,725,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 30.5% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,634,000 after purchasing an additional 44,618 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,208,000 after buying an additional 5,528 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WSBF shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

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.