Fourthstone LLC Boosts Stock Position in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG)

Fourthstone LLC increased its stake in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Free Report) by 307.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 105,585 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 79,673 shares during the quarter. Bankwell Financial Group comprises about 0.6% of Fourthstone LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Fourthstone LLC owned 1.34% of Bankwell Financial Group worth $3,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BWFG. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,890 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 164.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,638 shares of the bank's stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 7,238 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 11,338 shares of the bank's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 47.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,781 shares of the bank's stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 6,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $624,000. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ BWFG opened at $29.04 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $30.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.70 and a 1 year high of $35.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.10 million, a PE ratio of 24.61 and a beta of 0.60.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.33). Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.48% and a net margin of 4.76%.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. Bankwell Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 67.80%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christine Chivily sold 942 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.63, for a total transaction of $30,737.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $523,613.61. This trade represents a 5.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 2,198 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.69, for a total transaction of $67,456.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,536.76. This represents a 78.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 2,970 shares of company stock worth $90,136 and sold 6,147 shares worth $193,975. Corporate insiders own 19.20% of the company's stock.

Bankwell Financial Group Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bankwell Bank that provides various banking services for individual and commercial customers. It offers various traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family owner occupied residential properties for personal use; home equity loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties; loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family dwellings, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and investor-owned one-to-four family dwellings; commercial construction loans for commercial development projects, including apartment buildings and condominiums, as well as office buildings, retail, and other income producing properties; land loans; commercial business loans secured by assignments of corporate assets and personal guarantees of the business owners; loans to finance insurance premiums; overdraft lines of credit; and unsecured personal loans.

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