Mark Raymond Gerke Sells 10,000 Shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total value of $183,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares in the company, valued at $550,823.56. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $18.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $18.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.74. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.49 and a 12-month high of $18.88.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $35.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 8.48%.

Waterstone Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a positive change from Waterstone Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.9% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,338,000 after buying an additional 35,828 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 199,702 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after buying an additional 71,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 30.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,634,000 after buying an additional 44,618 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

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.