Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook of WaFd FY2026 Earnings

WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of WaFd in a report released on Tuesday, January 14th. Zacks Research analyst S. Shah now expects that the bank will earn $3.23 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $3.22. The consensus estimate for WaFd’s current full-year earnings is $2.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.83 EPS.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $389.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.43 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on WAFD. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, October 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.00.

WaFd Stock Down 3.3 %

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $31.01 on Friday. WaFd has a 52 week low of $25.78 and a 52 week high of $38.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.32.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total transaction of $404,359.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,532.08. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of WaFd

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 80.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in WaFd by 112.7% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 701 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in WaFd by 100.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,644 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in WaFd by 515.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in WaFd by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.