WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) Receives $32.90 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.90.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of WaFd from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on WaFd from $33.50 to $30.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $34.00 price objective on WaFd in a report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Insider Activity at WaFd

In other WaFd news, EVP Cathy E. Cooper sold 5,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.77, for a total transaction of $178,981.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 94,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,199,876.35. This trade represents a 5.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in WaFd by 42.8% in the second 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 grew its holdings in shares of WaFd by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing 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 during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in WaFd by 36.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,837 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WaFd Stock Performance

WAFD stock opened at $31.78 on Monday. WaFd has a one year low of $23.75 and a one year high of $34.29. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.53.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 16th. The bank reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). WaFd had a return on equity of 8.67% and a net margin of 17.45%.The business had revenue of $188.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.36 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that WaFd will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.37%.

WaFd Company Profile

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.