Northern Trust Corp Acquires 5,029 Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF)

Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 163,551 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock after buying an additional 5,029 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.84% of Waterstone Financial worth $2,198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,441 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,187 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 3,363 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,773 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 5,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 110,709 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 8,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF opened at $12.62 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.58. The company has a market cap of $243.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.61 and a 12-month high of $16.86.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 5.75%. The company had revenue of $29.67 million for the quarter.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.75%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is presently 58.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waterstone Financial

In other news, CFO Mark Raymond Gerke sold 2,738 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.14, for a total value of $38,715.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,922.76. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick S. Lawton sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total value of $526,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $689,307.93. This trade represents a 43.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Waterstone Financial 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.