Short Interest in Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) Decreases By 19.2%

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 131,437 shares, a decline of 19.2% from the December 15th total of 162,603 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 56,490 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 56,490 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In related news, Director Michael L. Hansen sold 79,872 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total value of $1,210,859.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 7.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waterstone Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSBF. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Waterstone Financial by 1.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 438,837 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 406,749 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,108 shares in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waterstone Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,725,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 190,766 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,634,000 after buying an additional 44,618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Waterstone Financial by 3.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,875 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,208,000 after buying an additional 5,528 shares during the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waterstone Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:WSBF opened at $17.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $323.05 million, a PE ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 0.81. Waterstone Financial has a fifty-two week low of $11.61 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $16.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.19.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter. Waterstone Financial had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 6.99%. The business had revenue of $37.04 million during the quarter.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on WSBF shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Waterstone Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Waterstone Financial Company Profile

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.