Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) Stock Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.45 and traded as low as $12.75. Waterstone Financial shares last traded at $12.99, with a volume of 47,899 shares trading hands.

Waterstone Financial Stock Up 1.4 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $255.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08 and a beta of 0.65.

Waterstone Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.55%. Waterstone Financial’s payout ratio is presently 82.19%.

Insider Activity at Waterstone Financial

In other news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 4,209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.04, for a total transaction of $67,512.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 70,078 shares in the company, valued at $1,124,051.12. This represents a 5.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,544 shares of company stock valued at $274,113. Insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waterstone Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSBF. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its position in Waterstone Financial by 165.0% during the third quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 90,826 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,335,000 after acquiring an additional 56,554 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Waterstone Financial by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 205,165 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $3,016,000 after purchasing an additional 33,305 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waterstone Financial by 223.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 42,506 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 29,366 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Waterstone Financial by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,913 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $763,000 after purchasing an additional 21,902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Waterstone Financial during the third quarter worth about $291,000. 62.71% of the stock is 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.