Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWFG - Get Free Report) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.87 and traded as high as $35.35. Bankwell Financial Group shares last traded at $35.17, with a volume of 6,970 shares traded.

BWFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Bankwell Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Bankwell Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Bankwell Financial Group

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.81 and a beta of 0.66. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.63 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.48% and a net margin of 4.76%.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Bankwell Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.96%.

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

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 3,002.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 655.6% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,564 shares of the bank's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $104,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $148,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $204,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(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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