John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Buys 17,516 Shares of Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) by 19.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,342 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,516 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.56% of Waterstone Financial worth $1,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSBF. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Waterstone Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 242.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,824 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 14,737 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Waterstone Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $365,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 33.6% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,082 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Waterstone Financial by 79.9% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,108 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,819 shares in the last quarter. 62.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Waterstone Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Waterstone Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSBF opened at $14.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.60 and a 12 month high of $16.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.58 and a 200-day moving average of $14.41. The company has a market capitalization of $272.58 million, a P/E ratio of 13.93 and a beta of 0.64.

Waterstone Financial (NASDAQ:WSBF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.28 EPS 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. Waterstone Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen J. Schmidt sold 2,195 shares of Waterstone Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.76, for a total transaction of $30,203.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 70,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,273.28. This trade represents a 3.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,909 shares of company stock valued at $371,670. Insiders own 8.30% 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.