Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Shares Bought by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF - Free Report) by 64.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,628 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after buying an additional 33,715 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.44% of Waterstone Financial worth $1,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 27.5% during 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 during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $365,000. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,456,000 after buying an additional 17,516 shares during 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 buying an additional 3,705 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 242.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 14,737 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $689,307.93. This represents a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total value of $38,715.32. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 30,334 shares in the company, valued at $428,922.76. This represents a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 66,669 shares of company stock valued at $929,283. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waterstone Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

WSBF traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.20. 59,952 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 42,630. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $13.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.63. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.25 and a 1-year high of $16.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 9.23%. The firm had revenue of $29.67 million for the quarter.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 8th. Waterstone Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.82%.

Waterstone Financial 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.