WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts hold a cautious view of WaFd: Four of five analysts rate the stock “Hold” and one rates it “Buy,” with an average 12-month price target of $36.25.
• WaFd shares opened at $32.54, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings slightly missed estimates at $0.81 per share versus $0.82 expected.
• WaFd maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equivalent to $1.08 annually and a 3.3% yield; institutional investors own 83.71% of the stock.

Shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $36.25.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WAFD shares. DA Davidson decreased their target price on WaFd from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Zacks Research lowered WaFd from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut WaFd from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WAFD opened at $32.54 on Friday. WaFd has a 1 year low of $26.31 and a 1 year high of $39.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company's 50-day moving average is $36.46 and its 200 day moving average is $35.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.26 and a beta of 0.83.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $205.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $199.56 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 18.47%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that WaFd will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. WaFd's payout ratio is 34.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WaFd in the second quarter worth $26,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of WaFd by 3,620.0% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 930 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new position in WaFd in the 2nd quarter worth about $52,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in WaFd by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,783 shares of the bank's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in WaFd during the 2nd quarter valued at about $230,000. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About WaFd

WaFd, Inc NASDAQ: WAFD, formerly known as Washington Federal, is the holding company for WaFd Bank, a regional financial institution serving individuals, families, businesses and commercial real estate customers. The bank provides deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, business banking, treasury management and online and mobile banking services.

Founded in 1917, WaFd began as a savings and loan institution in Seattle and has expanded into a full-service regional bank.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.