Quantbot Technologies LP Buys New Position in WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has purchased 35,157 shares of WaFd, Inc. valued at approximately $1,005,000, as reported in their latest SEC filing.
• WaFd's recent quarterly earnings revealed an EPS of $0.73, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.67, alongside a net margin of 15.57% and revenue of $186.26 million.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.4%, with an ex-dividend date set for August 22nd.

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 35,157 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $1,005,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd during the first quarter worth $28,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 35.2% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in WaFd by 232.4% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,978 shares of the bank's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in WaFd by 12.7% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,239 shares of the bank's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in WaFd in the fourth quarter valued at about $141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens boosted their price target on WaFd from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen raised WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on WaFd from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on WaFd from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on WaFd from $29.00 to $33.00 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, According to data from MarketBeat.com, WaFd currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.25.

WaFd Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.45. 265,219 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 425,584. The stock 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. The business's 50-day moving average price is $30.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.04. WaFd, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.75 and a 12 month high of $38.62.

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

WaFd Dividend Announcement

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

About WaFd

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.