Patrick S. Lawton Sells 37,500 Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,131 shares in the company, valued at $689,307.93. The trade was a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of WSBF traded down $0.05 on Monday, reaching $14.02. The stock had a trading volume of 57,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 44,098. The firm has a market capitalization of $271.61 million, a PE ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.58 and a 200 day moving average of $14.42. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.60 and a twelve month high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is currently 59.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter worth $143,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter worth $203,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $291,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 108.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 21,882 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 11,395 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.