Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

WSBF stock opened at $20.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.70. The company has a market cap of $376.22 million, a P/E ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $13.49 and a fifty-two week high of $21.14.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.17). Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 14.57% and a return on equity of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.80 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waterstone Financial news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.34, for a total value of $183,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,823.56. This trade represents a 24.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Waterstone Financial in the second quarter worth about $34,034,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $307,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Waterstone Financial in the second quarter worth about $1,877,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 30.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,200 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $815,000 after buying an additional 10,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 122,380 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,207,000 after buying an additional 12,430 shares during the period. 62.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.