If you want to know who really controls Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF), then you’ll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 46% to be precise, is retail investors. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
And institutions on the other hand have a 42% ownership in the company. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders.
Let’s take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Waterstone Financial.
NasdaqGS:WSBF Ownership Breakdown December 30th 2025
Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.
As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Waterstone Financial. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Waterstone Financial, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
NasdaqGS:WSBF Earnings and Revenue Growth December 30th 2025
It looks like hedge funds own 6.0% of Waterstone Financial shares. That’s interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Our data shows that BlackRock, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 8.3% of shares outstanding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is the second largest shareholder owning 7.5% of common stock, and Renaissance Technologies LLC holds about 6.0% of the company stock. In addition, we found that William Bruss, the CEO has 0.6% of the shares allocated to their name.
A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.
While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock’s expected performance. We’re not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.
The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.
Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.
Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Waterstone Financial, Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own US$18m worth of the US$309m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
With a 46% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Waterstone Financial. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
