Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) Short Interest Up 10.5% in January

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 103,000 shares, a growth of 10.5% from the December 31st total of 93,200 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 15,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Bankwell Financial Group Stock Performance

Bankwell Financial Group stock traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $31.02. 9,804 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,572. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $243.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28 and a beta of 0.88. Bankwell Financial Group has a 1 year low of $22.47 and a 1 year high of $35.25.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) last issued its 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 net margin of 4.76% and a return on equity of 3.48%.

Bankwell Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. Bankwell Financial Group’s payout ratio is 67.80%.

Insider Activity at Bankwell Financial Group

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, Director Darryl Demos purchased 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.61 per share, with a total value of $74,676.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,967.16. This trade represents a 39.04 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 1,330 shares of the business’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $99,005.96. This trade represents a 30.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 4,975 shares of company stock worth $157,977. Company insiders own 19.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWFG. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 60.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,890 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 164.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,638 shares of the bank’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 7,238 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,642 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Bankwell Financial Group by 47.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,781 shares of the bank’s stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 6,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $624,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

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.