Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) Stock Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.68 and traded as high as $31.37. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $31.37, with a volume of 7,784 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

Bankwell Financial Group Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $246.54 million, a P/E ratio of 26.58 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.33). Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.48% and a net margin of 4.76%.

Bankwell Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is 67.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Matt Mcneill sold 1,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.43, for a total value of $61,876.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 40,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,308,647.79. This trade represents a 4.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 1,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.98, for a total transaction of $43,863.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,005.96. The trade was a 30.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 4,975 shares of company stock valued at $157,977 and have sold 7,023 shares valued at $224,682. 19.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 78,017 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 90,358 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,815,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 148,035 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,612,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,890 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,560 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.80% of the company’s stock.

About Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bankwell Bank that provides various banking services for individual and commercial customers. It offers various traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family owner occupied residential properties for personal use; home equity loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties; loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family dwellings, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and investor-owned one-to-four family dwellings; commercial construction loans for commercial development projects, including apartment buildings and condominiums, as well as office buildings, retail, and other income producing properties; land loans; commercial business loans secured by assignments of corporate assets and personal guarantees of the business owners; loans to finance insurance premiums; overdraft lines of credit; and unsecured personal loans.