Sei Investments Co. Grows Position in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. $BWFG

Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) by 111.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,342 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 21,786 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Bankwell Financial Group were worth $2,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,040 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,064,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.4% in the first quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 106,498 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,167,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 21,262 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BWFG opened at $66.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $533.19 million, a P/E ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.59. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.00 and a one year high of $69.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $59.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The bank reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $32.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.63 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 13.94%. Analysts forecast that Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BWFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research upgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, Director Lawrence B. Seidman acquired 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $51.87 per share, for a total transaction of $171,171.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 218,756 shares in the company, valued at $11,346,873.72. This trade represents a 1.53% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Todd Lampert sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.59, for a total transaction of $187,565.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $662,693.94. This trade represents a 22.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 7,156 shares of company stock valued at $370,525 and have sold 6,834 shares valued at $401,089. 20.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.