Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Short Interest Up 22.3% in March

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 202,175 shares, a growth of 22.3% from the February 26th total of 165,275 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 33,514 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.0 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Hovde Group increased their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 1.6%

BWFG stock traded up $0.80 on Wednesday, hitting $49.32. 13,643 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,690. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.67. Bankwell Financial Group has a twelve month low of $26.39 and a twelve month high of $51.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $47.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.35.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $30.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 16.94% and a return on equity of 12.21%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bankwell Financial Group

In other news, Director Lawrence B. Seidman bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $46.88 per share, for a total transaction of $468,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 216,904 shares in the company, valued at $10,168,459.52. The trade was a 4.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Matt Mcneill sold 3,794 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $189,055.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,243,296.77. This trade represents a 7.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 26,816 shares of company stock valued at $1,256,874 and sold 11,897 shares valued at $592,523. 19.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 366,963 shares of the bank’s stock worth $16,238,000 after purchasing an additional 13,823 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 314,446 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,409,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC increased its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 266,865 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,615,000 after purchasing an additional 100,302 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 159,384 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,744,000 after purchasing an additional 8,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Siena Capital Partners GP LLC raised its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 5.3% in the third quarter. Siena Capital Partners GP LLC now owns 116,138 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,139,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the period. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, and serves as the parent of Bankwell Bank. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of banking products and services designed for both individual consumers and small? to mid?sized businesses. Bankwell Bank operates multiple branches across suburban Cook and Lake counties, focusing on personalized service and local decision?making.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.