Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Director Stephen J. Schmidt Sells 2,195 Shares

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,195 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.76, for a total transaction of $30,203.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $964,273.28. This represents a 3.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

Waterstone Financial stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $13.61. The stock had a trading volume of 7,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,966. The company has a market capitalization of $263.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.42. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $10.60 and a one year high of $16.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 5.75%.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial's payout ratio is currently 59.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Waterstone Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $365,000. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 17,516 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,773 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $763,000 after acquiring an additional 21,902 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company's stock.

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.