Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Hovde Group increased their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bankwell Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Up 0.4%

BWFG stock opened at $46.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $47.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.88. Bankwell Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $26.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.54.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.16. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 16.94%.The company had revenue of $30.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.06 million.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. Bankwell Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.02%.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In related news, insider Matt Mcneill sold 3,794 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total value of $189,055.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,019 shares in the company, valued at $2,243,296.77. This trade represents a 7.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine Chivily sold 1,985 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.80, for a total transaction of $98,853.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,062.80. This represents a 10.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 6,780 shares of company stock valued at $316,980 and sold 11,897 shares valued at $592,523. 19.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 70.7% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 722 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,040 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 38.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,124 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 71.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GM Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 106,059 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,860,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Bankwell Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bankwell Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple directors increased holdings via open‑market purchases on March 6, signaling insider confidence — Lawrence B. Seidman bought 1,271 shares at $45.77 (~$58.2K), Eric J. Dale bought 612 shares at $46.00 (~$28.2K), Carl M. Porto bought 393 shares at $46.00 (~$18.1K), Blake S. Drexler bought 27 shares at $46.00 (~$1.2K), and Jeffrey R. Dunne bought 357 shares at $46.00 (~$16.4K). These are modest purchases but raise insider ownership and are typically viewed as supportive for the stock. Seidman Form 4 Dale Form 4 Porto Form 4 Drexler Form 4 Dunne Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest reported at essentially 0 shares as of March 9 (short-interest ratio 0.0 days), indicating few or no outstanding short positions — reduces likelihood of short-driven volatility but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. MarketBeat BWFG

About Bankwell Financial Group

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.