Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Pathward Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pathward Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.00.

Pathward Financial Stock Up 7.3%

Pathward Financial stock opened at $85.72 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $73.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.74. Pathward Financial has a twelve month low of $64.45 and a twelve month high of $86.92.

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $173.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.80 million. Pathward Financial had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 22.95%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.29 earnings per share. Pathward Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-9.050 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Pathward Financial will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Pathward Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. Pathward Financial’s payout ratio is 2.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pathward Financial news, Director Douglas J. Hajek sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.11, for a total transaction of $204,330.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,631 shares in the company, valued at $1,132,737.41. This represents a 15.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pathward Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Pathward Financial by 647.8% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 344 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pathward Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pathward Financial by 43,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 433 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Pathward Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Pathward Financial by 8.4% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.66% of the company’s stock.

Pathward Financial News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pathward Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and net income growth — Pathward reported $1.57 GAAP EPS (vs. $1.38 consensus) and net income of $35.2M, improving year-over-year EPS and showing strong margins/ROE, which supports valuation re-rating. Pathward Financial (CASH) Surpasses Q1 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 guidance raised — management updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $8.55–$9.05 (above prior consensus ~$8.45), which signals confidence in margins and earnings power for the year. Pathward Financial raises 2026 EPS guidance to $8.55-$9.05 while expanding partner pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher price target — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded CASH to “Outperform” with a $100 target (~16.7% above the prior price), providing third‑party validation that may drive additional buying. Finviz
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available — the company posted its press release, slide deck and full earnings call/transcript for review, giving investors more detail on drivers (partner pipeline, margin dynamics). Pathward Financial, Inc. Announces Results for 2026 Fiscal First Quarter Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates and was roughly flat year-over-year — Q1 revenue was $173.1M vs. ~$185.8M expected and was down 0.2% YoY, which introduces execution risk on top-line growth despite the EPS beat. Pathward Financial beats Q1 earnings estimates, revenue falls short

Pathward Financial Company Profile

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) is a U.S.-based financial services company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pathward Bank. The company provides a range of banking and payment solutions designed for consumers, small businesses, community banks and fintech partners. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, debit and prepaid card programs, digital banking platforms and treasury management services.

Through its banking charter, Pathward Financial delivers customizable payment solutions, including prepaid cards, payroll cards and benefit disbursement programs.