MetLife Investment Management LLC Raises Position in WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in WaFd, Inc. by 1,576.8%, acquiring an additional 642,270 shares during the first quarter, valuing its total ownership at $19.52 million.
• WaFd's stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" from multiple analysts, with price targets ranging from $31.00 to $33.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.4% with a payout ratio of 41.06%.

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 1,576.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 683,003 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 642,270 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.85% of WaFd worth $19,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in WaFd by 9.8% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,948,534 shares of the bank's stock valued at $55,689,000 after acquiring an additional 174,453 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of WaFd by 1.7% during the first quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,531,327 shares of the bank's stock valued at $43,765,000 after purchasing an additional 24,959 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of WaFd by 124.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,107,097 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,641,000 after purchasing an additional 613,596 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of WaFd by 5.1% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 875,079 shares of the bank's stock valued at $25,010,000 after purchasing an additional 42,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of WaFd by 3.7% during the first quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 551,758 shares of the bank's stock valued at $15,769,000 after purchasing an additional 19,865 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

WaFd Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ WAFD traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $31.48. 132,016 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 549,249. WaFd, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.75 and a 12 month high of $38.62. The company has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $30.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $186.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.47 million. WaFd had a net margin of 15.57% and a return on equity of 8.57%. As a group, research analysts forecast that WaFd, Inc. will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

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

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.