Kennedy Capital Management LLC Raises Stake in Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Free Report) by 60.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,312 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 13,733 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 0.46% of Bankwell Financial Group worth $1,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 60.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,890 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake 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 during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 47.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,781 shares of the bank's stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 6,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $624,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In other news, Director Kevin D. Leitao purchased 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $30.38 per share, for a total transaction of $60,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $136,710. This trade represents a 80.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 2,198 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.69, for a total transaction of $67,456.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,536.76. The trade was a 78.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 2,970 shares of company stock worth $90,136 and have sold 6,147 shares worth $193,975. 19.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

BWFG traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $29.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,463. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.70 and a 12 month high of $35.25. The stock has a market cap of $231.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day moving average price is $29.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. Bankwell Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.80%.

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.