Jane Street Group LLC Sells 45,085 Shares of Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA)

Jane Street Group LLC reduced its holdings in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA - Free Report) by 69.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 45,085 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC owned 0.06% of Heritage Financial worth $490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HFWA. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Heritage Financial by 794.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Heritage Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $157,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. purchased a new position in Heritage Financial in the 4th quarter worth $168,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in Heritage Financial in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. 78.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Heritage Financial Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ HFWA traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $23.51. The company had a trading volume of 271,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 214,020. Heritage Financial Co. has a one year low of $16.55 and a one year high of $27.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $22.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.21. The stock has a market cap of $801.83 million, a PE ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.53.

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.03. Heritage Financial had a return on equity of 7.17% and a net margin of 13.64%. The company had revenue of $57.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.74 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Heritage Financial Co. will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Heritage Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 7th. Heritage Financial's payout ratio is 64.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HFWA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Heritage Financial from $34.00 to $31.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Heritage Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heritage Financial

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Deuel sold 7,033 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.66, for a total transaction of $166,400.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 70,906 shares in the company, valued at $1,677,635.96. The trade was a 9.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Donald Hinson sold 3,420 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total value of $80,677.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $992,832.33. The trade was a 7.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,311 shares of company stock valued at $267,473 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Heritage Financial Profile

Heritage Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Heritage Bank that provides various financial services to small and medium sized businesses and individuals in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, such as noninterest demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, money market accounts, savings accounts, personal checking accounts, and certificates of deposit.