Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.44 and traded as high as $59.59. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $58.75, with a volume of 68,757 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BWFG has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bankwell Financial Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $53.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $468.24 million, a PE ratio of 11.80 and a beta of 0.62.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $30.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.47 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 13.31%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lawrence B. Seidman purchased 3,300 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $51.87 per share, with a total value of $171,171.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 218,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,346,873.72. This represents a 1.53% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine Chivily sold 4,321 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.16, for a total transaction of $225,383.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $618,878.40. This represents a 26.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 7,156 shares of company stock worth $370,525 over the last three months. 20.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 21,262 shares of the bank’s stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at $250,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $148,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 159,384 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,744,000 after acquiring an additional 8,178 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,119 shares of the bank’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, and serves as the parent company of Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Bank provides commercial, business and personal banking services, with branch locations primarily across Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut, along with a New York presence.

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.