Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Announces Earnings Results

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The bank reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.15, Zacks reports. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 16.94%.

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Down 2.9%

BWFG stock traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $49.43. The stock had a trading volume of 68,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,559. The firm has a market cap of $393.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.04. Bankwell Financial Group has a 52-week low of $30.40 and a 52-week high of $53.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher R. Gruseke sold 5,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.79, for a total value of $251,738.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 172,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,571,199.13. This represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christine Chivily sold 1,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.80, for a total value of $98,853.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,062.80. The trade was a 10.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 26,816 shares of company stock valued at $1,256,874 and sold 11,897 shares valued at $592,523. Company insiders own 20.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in 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 period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $4,860,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 585.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 3.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 21,262 shares of the bank’s stock worth $642,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. 35.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BWFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Hovde Group upped their target price on Bankwell Financial Group from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bankwell Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.00.

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.