Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Heritage Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:HFWA) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $24.50 and traded as high as $27.81. Heritage Financial shares last traded at $27.54, with a volume of 234,876 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HFWA. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Heritage Financial from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Stephens upped their price objective on Heritage Financial from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Heritage Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Heritage Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Heritage Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.25.

Heritage Financial Stock Up 1.6%

The firm has a market cap of $935.26 million, a P/E ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.50.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. Heritage Financial had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 8.61%. The company had revenue of $66.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.95 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Heritage Financial Corporation will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heritage Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Heritage Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.98%.

Insider Activity at Heritage Financial

In other news, EVP Kelli Ann Wilson sold 1,900 shares of Heritage Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.48, for a total value of $50,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,041.44. This trade represents a 33.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frederick B. Rivera sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.31, for a total value of $47,358.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,813.32. The trade was a 26.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,368 shares of company stock valued at $226,740 over the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heritage Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 316.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,651 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,255 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Heritage Financial by 27,871.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Heritage Financial by 99.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Heritage Financial by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,171 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in Heritage Financial by 100.5% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 3,838 shares during the last quarter. 78.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Heritage Financial

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.