Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.32 EPS

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The savings and loans company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.32), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $35.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.80 million. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 7.67% and a net margin of 13.12%.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Waterstone Financial stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.85. 17,726 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 58,429. Waterstone Financial has a 52 week low of $11.91 and a 52 week high of $18.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $324.16 million, a PE ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s fifty day moving average is $18.07 and its 200-day moving average is $16.93.

Waterstone Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a boost from Waterstone Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is currently 45.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold 18,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $341,567.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 566,418 shares in the company, valued at $10,337,128.50. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Julie Ann Glynn sold 20,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.19, for a total transaction of $380,698.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165,001.49. The trade was a 69.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 106,780 shares of company stock valued at $1,967,486 in the last three months. Company insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,117 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 3,527 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 109,950 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 11,228 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waterstone Financial by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,704 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 35,828 shares during the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its stake in Waterstone Financial by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 33,500 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $554,000 after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,480 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 4,826 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on WSBF shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Waterstone Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

About Waterstone Financial

Waterstone Financial, Inc is a bank holding company based in Glendale, Wisconsin, that provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions. Its primary operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, Waterstone Bank, which offers deposit products, loan facilities and treasury management services. The company focuses on delivering relationship-based banking solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as retail customers.

In addition to traditional commercial and consumer banking, Waterstone Financial supports its clients with specialized financing, including real estate, equipment and asset-based lending.