WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.00.

Several research firms have commented on WAFD. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WaFd from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of WaFd in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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.

WaFd Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $31.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $30.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. WaFd has a 52 week low of $23.75 and a 52 week high of $38.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.89.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WaFd had a net margin of 16.02% and a return on equity of 8.40%. The company had revenue of $169.23 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that WaFd will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WaFd

In other news, Director Sean Singleton sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.71, for a total transaction of $31,836.84. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,278 shares in the company, valued at $294,205.38. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in WaFd by 42.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,174 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,070 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 69,180 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in WaFd by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 75,005 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,196,000 after buying an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in WaFd by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,846 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Company Profile

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.