WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Given New $34.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) had its price objective hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $31.00 to $34.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the bank’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on WAFD. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.90.

WaFd Stock Down 2.9%

WAFD opened at $31.44 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.98. WaFd has a 1-year low of $23.75 and a 1-year high of $33.92. The stock has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $191.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.36 million. WaFd had a net margin of 17.45% and a return on equity of 8.67%. As a group, research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. WaFd’s payout ratio is currently 37.37%.

Insider Activity at WaFd

In other WaFd news, CEO Brent J. Beardall bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.85 per share, with a total value of $50,550.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,100. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WaFd

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of WaFd by 604.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,221 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of WaFd in the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of WaFd by 36.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,837 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

About WaFd

Washington Federal, Inc, doing business as WaFd Bank, is a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Through its subsidiary, WaFd Bank, the company provides a range of banking and financial services to individuals, small-to-medium enterprises, and commercial clients. Established in 1917 as Ballard Savings & Loan in Seattle, the institution expanded over decades to serve customers across the Western United States under the Washington Federal name and has operated as a public company since the early 1980s.

WaFd Bank’s core offerings encompass deposit accounts such as checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit, alongside consumer and commercial lending products.