Lawrence Seidman Acquires 1,600 Shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Director Lawrence Seidman acquired 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.11 per share, with a total value of $76,976.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 195,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,388,714.61. This represents a 0.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of BWFG opened at $48.74 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.39 and a 12 month high of $51.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $48.07 and its 200-day moving average is $44.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.92 million, a PE ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.70.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $30.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.06 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 16.94%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is 18.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on BWFG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWFG. GM Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 106,059 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,860,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 115,711 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,302,000 after acquiring an additional 6,138 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 11,197 shares of the bank’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 74.6% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 31,789 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 13,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.4% in 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. 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.