Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 152,391 Shares of WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its stake in WaFd, Inc. by 2.8% during Q1, owning approximately 5.23 million shares valued at $149.49 million.
• WaFd, Inc. recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing a yield of 3.5% as of the ex-dividend date.
• The stock has an average target price of $32.25 with a consensus 'Hold' rating from multiple analysts following recent price adjustments.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,230,695 shares of the bank's stock after selling 152,391 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 6.53% of WaFd worth $149,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WAFD. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in WaFd by 124.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,107,097 shares of the bank's stock worth $31,641,000 after acquiring an additional 613,596 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc lifted its holdings in WaFd by 344.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 454,343 shares of the bank's stock worth $14,648,000 after acquiring an additional 352,076 shares during the period. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in WaFd during the fourth quarter worth $9,210,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in WaFd during the first quarter worth $5,093,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in WaFd by 46.9% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 273,094 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,805,000 after acquiring an additional 87,235 shares during the period. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.58. 400,909 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 452,713. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. WaFd, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.75 and a 12 month high of $38.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 0.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $30.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.01.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.06. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 15.57%.The company had revenue of $186.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.47 million. On average, equities analysts expect that WaFd, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. WaFd's payout ratio is presently 41.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAFD has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Stephens boosted their target price on WaFd from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on WaFd from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. DA Davidson boosted their target price on WaFd from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on WaFd from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.25.

WaFd Profile

WaFd, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Washington Federal Bank that provides lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business and personal checking accounts, and term certificates of deposit, as well as money market accounts and passbook savings accounts.