Teton Advisors LLC Takes Position in Waterstone Financial, Inc. $WSBF

Teton Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 59,000 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000. Teton Advisors LLC owned 0.32% of Waterstone Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSBF. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 16.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 45,595 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 6,512 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 83,591 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 5,818 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 5,928 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,725,000. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In other news, EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.19, for a total transaction of $380,698.51. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,071 shares in the company, valued at $165,001.49. This trade represents a 69.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total value of $341,567.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 566,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,337,128.50. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Waterstone Financial stock opened at $17.46 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.63 and a 200-day moving average of $16.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.61 and a 52-week high of $18.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.57 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.81.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WSBF. Wall Street Zen raised Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Profile

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.