Wall Street Zen Upgrades Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) to “Buy”

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.6%

WSBF opened at $17.46 on Friday. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $11.61 and a fifty-two week high of $18.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $320.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.81.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 13.12% and a return on equity of 7.67%. The business had revenue of $37.17 million during the quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 19,255 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.64, for a total transaction of $358,913.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 2,880 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total transaction of $52,156.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 556,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,083,159.03. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486 in the last 90 days. 7.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSBF. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 30,924 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Simplex Trading LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 69.3% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 15,840 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 6.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waterstone Financial

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.