Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Short Interest Update

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 88,200 shares, a growth of 20.2% from the April 30th total of 73,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 51,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 2.0%

NASDAQ WSBF opened at $13.17 on Wednesday. Waterstone Financial has a one year low of $11.61 and a one year high of $16.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.46. The company has a market capitalization of $254.12 million, a P/E ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Waterstone Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 8th. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is currently 58.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSBF. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,773 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $365,000. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. grew its position in Waterstone Financial by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 17,516 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $325,000 after buying an additional 5,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,628 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 33,715 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.71% of the company’s stock.

About Waterstone Financial

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.