Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of WaFd Q2 Earnings

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) – Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for WaFd in a research note issued on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the bank will post earnings per share of $0.71 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.70. The consensus estimate for WaFd’s current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.74 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.81 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.87 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.29 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.71 EPS.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). WaFd had a net margin of 16.02% and a return on equity of 8.40%. The business had revenue of $190.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $191.04 million.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Stephens lifted their price target on WaFd from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. DA Davidson lifted their target price on WaFd from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on WaFd from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of WaFd in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of WaFd from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.00.

WaFd Stock Performance

WaFd stock opened at $30.20 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $30.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.89. WaFd has a twelve month low of $23.75 and a twelve month high of $38.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in WaFd by 42.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,174 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of WaFd by 2.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,070 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of WaFd by 0.5% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 69,180 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,977,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 0.6% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 75,005 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,196,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in WaFd by 3.5% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,846 shares of the bank’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sean Singleton sold 1,004 shares of WaFd stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.71, for a total transaction of $31,836.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $294,205.38. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 22nd. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio is 40.91%.

About WaFd

WaFd, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Washington Federal Bank that provides lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business and personal checking accounts, and term certificates of deposit, as well as money market accounts and passbook savings accounts.