Nuveen LLC Takes $5.09 Million Position in WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in WaFd, Inc. by purchasing 178,214 shares valued at approximately $5 million during the 1st quarter, which amounts to about 0.22% of the company's total shares.
• WaFd reported $0.73 earnings per share for its last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.67, and generated revenue of $186.26 million, exceeding the projected $184.47 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.4%, scheduled for payment on September 5th, indicating a distribution policy with a payout ratio of 41.06%.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 178,214 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $5,093,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.22% of WaFd at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd in the 4th quarter worth $1,766,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in WaFd by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 40,733 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,313,000 after acquiring an additional 2,039 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in WaFd by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 45,710 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,474,000 after acquiring an additional 4,367 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in WaFd during the fourth quarter worth about $141,000. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its position in WaFd by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 68,804 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 10,677 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

WaFd Trading Down 0.3%

WaFd stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $31.45. The company had a trading volume of 265,219 shares, compared to its average volume of 425,584. WaFd, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.75 and a 12-month high of $38.62. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $30.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.90. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.06. The firm 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, equities analysts expect that WaFd, Inc. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a $0.27 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.