Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $31.35 and traded as high as $35.55. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $34.23, with a volume of 16,055 shares changing hands.

Several research firms have recently commented on BWFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on BWFG

The company has a market capitalization of $269.49 million, a P/E ratio of 29.01 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.63 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a net margin of 4.76% and a return on equity of 3.48%.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Bankwell Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 50.96%.

In other news, EVP Steven H. Brunner sold 807 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total value of $26,921.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,641.28. This represents a 34.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Eric J. Dale purchased 875 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $30.42 per share, with a total value of $26,617.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,176,706.44. This represents a 2.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 19.48% of the company's stock.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 174,584 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 40,458 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Bankwell Financial Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,871 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,998,000 after buying an additional 7,363 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Bankwell Financial Group by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 36,312 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,131,000 after acquiring an additional 13,733 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 164.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,638 shares of the bank's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 7,238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northeast Financial Consultants Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $682,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

(Get Free Report)

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.

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