Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $11.33 on Monday. Waterstone Financial has a one year low of $9.62 and a one year high of $17.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $11.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.95.

Waterstone Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 9th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 5th. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 120.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSBF. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 1.1% in the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 54,469 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $929,000 after buying an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,342 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,768 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 4.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 27,636 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,053 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,326 shares during the last quarter. 53.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

Waterstone Financial, Inc operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts.