Waterstone Financial, Inc. (WSBF)

In November 2025, Waterstone Financial was featured in a Seeking Alpha article. In December 2025, the company declared a regular quarterly cash dividend. In January 2026, Waterstone Financial announced Q4 earnings with a 57% year-over-year increase and the stock rose 22% in six months. In February 2026, Director Douglas S. Gordon sold shares of the company's stock. In March 2026, Waterstone Financial raised its quarterly cash dividend by 13.3%. In April 2026, the company expanded its share repurchase program and released Q1 2026 earnings, reporting $0.34 EPS, missing estimates, but net income rose due to stronger net interest margin and increased loan origination volumes. In May 2026, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waterstone Financial from "buy" to "hold", and the stock traded up 0.9% to $18.72.

The demand for banking products and services offered by Waterstone Financial, Inc. generally exhibits seasonality. Marketing bank products is less effective in December, while September and October are prime times. Loan demand varies seasonally, increasing in spring in agricultural areas and rising in late summer/early fall in some districts, peaking in December. Corporate credit also shows seasonal variations, with lower interest rates and higher lending volumes in late spring and fall. These seasonal patterns influence the demand for Waterstone Financial's lending solutions, deposit products, and mortgage originations.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. operates as the savings and loan holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB, established in 1921 and based in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The company operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically within the Banks - Regional industry, and has two segments: Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services in southeastern Wisconsin, including lending, deposit, and transactional solutions, as well as investable funds, insurance, and trust/investment management. The Mortgage Banking segment, through Waterstone Mortgage Corporation, originates residential mortgage loans for sale in the secondary market.

WaterStone Bank SSB has 14 full-service banking offices in Milwaukee, Washington, and Waukesha Counties in southeastern Wisconsin. Waterstone Mortgage Corporation has offices in 21 states and can lend in 48 states, giving it a broader national reach for its mortgage products.

There were no specific events or reports detailing Waterstone Financial, Inc.'s brand reputation within the past year (May 2025 - May 2026) in the provided search results. However, in September 2021, Bank Director Magazine ranked Waterstone Financial, Inc. 16th out of 119 U.S. publicly traded banks in the $1-5 billion asset size category, and the top-rated publicly traded bank in Wisconsin within that category, based on profitability, asset quality, and capital adequacy.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. is owned by a mix of institutional shareholders (50.06%), individual insiders (11.23%), and retail investors (38.71%). Major institutional owners include BlackRock, Inc., Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Renaissance Technologies LLC, Vanguard Group Inc, State Street Corp, Geode Capital Management LLC, and WaterStone Bank Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The largest individual shareholder is Douglas S. Gordon, a director, who owns 3.97% of the company.