Bankwell Financial Group’s (BWFG) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Posted by Geri Gentry on Oct 30th, 2026

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $79.00 price objective on the bank’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $72.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 13.04% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on BWFG. Hovde Group lifted their price target on shares of Bankwell Financial Group from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bankwell Financial Group from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Bankwell Financial Group

Bankwell Financial Group Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ BWFG traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $69.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,479. Bankwell Financial Group has a 52-week low of $42.50 and a 52-week high of $70.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.73. The firm has a market cap of $557.12 million, a P/E ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 0.58.

Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $35.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.33 million. Bankwell Financial Group had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 19.80%. Research analysts predict that Bankwell Financial Group will post 5.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bankwell Financial Group news, Director Lawrence Seidman bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $66.63 per share, for a total transaction of $666,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 222,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,837,834.70. This trade represents a 4.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Eric Dale purchased 530 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $67.11 per share, for a total transaction of $35,568.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,887,474.86. This represents a 1.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 19,040 shares of company stock valued at $1,269,057 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 20.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bankwell Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWFG. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $37,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Bankwell Financial Group by 69.7% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 728 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth about $146,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in Bankwell Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $211,000. 35.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Bankwell Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bankwell Financial Group this week:

Positive Sentiment: Bankwell reported record third-quarter GAAP net income of $12.7 million. Earnings per share rose to $1.58, up from $1.27 a year earlier and ahead of analyst estimates ranging from $1.41 to $1.44. Revenue reached $35.33 million, exceeding the $33.33 million consensus forecast. Bankwell surpasses Q3 earnings and revenue estimates
Positive Sentiment: The quarter included a strong 19.80% net margin and 13.94% return on equity, reinforcing the bank’s profitability and earnings momentum. The results were also above the company’s prior-year performance. Bankwell records record net income in Q3 2026
Positive Sentiment: Bankwell declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, payable November 20 to shareholders of record November 9. The annualized payout is $0.80 per share, providing continued income support for investors.
Neutral Sentiment: Management forecast 2026 net interest income of approximately $119 million to $121 million and expects to complete its core-system conversion in the second half of 2027. The outlook supports continued growth, although the technology conversion remains a future execution milestone. Bankwell forecasts net interest income and core conversion timing

Bankwell Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Bankwell Financial Group, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, and serves as the parent company of Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Bank provides commercial, business and personal banking services, with branch locations primarily across Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut, along with a New York presence.

The company’s deposit offerings include checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, all supported by an online and mobile banking platform for convenient account access.