Barclays PLC Buys 3,363 Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF)

Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,187 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,363 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Waterstone Financial were worth $325,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waterstone Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $365,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of 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. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In related news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 30,334 shares in the company, valued at $428,922.76. This trade represents a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total transaction of $526,125.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $689,307.93. This trade represents a 43.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 46,449 shares of company stock valued at $650,490. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $12.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $11.61 and a twelve month high of $16.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $12.83 and a 200-day moving average of $13.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.18 million, a P/E ratio of 12.26 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is currently 58.82%.

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.