Carl Porto Buys 327 Shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Carl Porto purchased 327 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.11 per share, with a total value of $21,944.97. Following the purchase, the director owned 22,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,062.67. This represents a 1.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Down 1.8%

BWFG opened at $66.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $527.30 million, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $64.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.75. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.44 and a twelve month high of $69.59.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The bank reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.23. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The company had revenue of $32.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.63 million. Research analysts forecast that Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on BWFG shares. Hovde Group increased their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 523.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,995 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, and serves as the parent company of Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Bank provides commercial, business and personal banking services, with branch locations primarily across Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut, along with a New York presence.

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.