Wall Street Zen Upgrades Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) to Buy

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of WSBF stock opened at $20.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $362.08 million, a PE ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.71. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $13.08 and a fifty-two week high of $21.03.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17). Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 8.66% and a net margin of 14.57%.The firm had revenue of $40.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.80 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waterstone Financial news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total value of $183,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,823.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 30,924 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Simplex Trading LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 69.3% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 944 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 557.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 6.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 26,848 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 1,676 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Waterstone Financial in the third quarter valued at $30,000. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Company 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.