Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The savings and loans company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, FiscalAI reports. Waterstone Financial had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 12.08%.The company had revenue of $37.17 million for the quarter.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.06. The stock had a trading volume of 5,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,446. The firm has a market cap of $333.30 million, a P/E ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.81. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $11.61 and a fifty-two week high of $18.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.42.

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 8th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.11%.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Waterstone Financial by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 45,595 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 6,512 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 7.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 83,591 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 5,818 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 29.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 5,928 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Waterstone Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 15,840 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company 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.