DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) Stock

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) had its target price increased by analysts at DA Davidson from $29.00 to $32.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 20.39% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Heritage Financial from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Heritage Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Heritage Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Heritage Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.33.

Heritage Financial Stock Down 5.5%

Shares of HFWA opened at $26.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $902.58 million, a P/E ratio of 13.56 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Heritage Financial has a one year low of $19.84 and a one year high of $28.35.

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $66.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.95 million. Heritage Financial had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 8.61%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Heritage Financial will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Heritage Financial news, President Bryan Mcdonald acquired 19,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.32 per share, with a total value of $426,445.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 31,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $700,022.16. This trade represents a 155.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heritage Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Heritage Financial by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 881 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Heritage Financial by 4.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 123,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after acquiring an additional 4,947 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Heritage Financial by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,417 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Heritage Financial by 437.3% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 107,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 87,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. 78.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Heritage Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped expectations: Heritage reported $0.66 EPS (vs. $0.57 consensus) and revenue modestly beat, with improved ROA and net margin — a fundamental beat that supports earnings momentum. PR Newswire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: DA Davidson raised its price target to $32 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying ~20% upside from current levels — a bullish signal from a large regional-bank analyst. The Fly: Price Target Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Merger synergy potential: Management outlined near-4% margin improvement potential from integrating Olympic, which, if realized, could materially lift profitability over time. Seeking Alpha: Margin Improvement
• Neutral Sentiment: Full disclosure available: The earnings call transcript, slide deck and detailed Q4 presentation are published for deeper review of guidance, loan/deposit trends and expense assumptions. Use these to vet the merger and margin assumptions. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage: Multiple outlets highlight the “strong quarter and acquisition prep” narrative; useful for context but not new company-specific data. TipRanks: Strong Quarter & Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder-approved stock issuance for the merger raises near-term dilution concerns — investors may be weighing dilution vs. long-term synergies, pressuring the share price. TipRanks: Shareholder Approval
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and volume: Despite beats and an analyst upgrade, shares are trading lower on elevated volume — likely a mix of profit-taking after recent gains, merger/dilution uncertainty, and short-term positioning. Benzinga: Market Note

Heritage Financial Company Profile

Heritage Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:HFWA) is a bank holding company headquartered in Spokane, Washington. Through its primary subsidiary, Heritage Bank, the company provides a comprehensive range of banking and financial services to both individual and commercial clients. Heritage Bank’s offerings encompass deposit products, lending solutions, treasury and cash management services, mortgage banking, and wealth management, positioning the organization as a full-service community bank.

The company’s lending portfolio includes commercial real estate loans, agricultural loans, small business administration (SBA) loans, construction and development financing, and a variety of consumer mortgage products.