Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

WSBF stock opened at $13.84 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.38. Waterstone Financial has a twelve month low of $10.60 and a twelve month high of $16.86. The firm has a market cap of $267.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%.

Insider Transactions at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.76, for a total transaction of $30,203.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,273.28. This represents a 3.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total value of $38,715.32. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $428,922.76. The trade was a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 66,669 shares of company stock valued at $929,283. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBF. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 27.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $143,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $203,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the third quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 108.7% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 21,882 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 11,395 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.