Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Shares Cross Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $45.80 and traded as high as $48.08. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $46.96, with a volume of 37,208 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.50.

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Down 1.7%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.80 and a 200-day moving average of $42.28. The company has a market cap of $369.90 million, a PE ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The bank reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $28.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.26 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 14.10%.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eric J. Dale purchased 746 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $47.64 per share, for a total transaction of $35,539.44. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 41,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,967,341.44. This trade represents a 1.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christine Chivily sold 2,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.52, for a total value of $116,212.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $634,503.28. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 2,208 shares of company stock valued at $105,212. 19.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bankwell Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fourthstone LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 100,302 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,280,000. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $759,000. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $695,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 3.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 366,963 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $16,238,000 after buying an additional 13,823 shares during the period. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.