Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Position in WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

Key Points

• Vanguard Group reduced its WaFd stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 8.78 million shares worth about $281.2 million and remained the bank’s largest disclosed institutional owner.
• WaFd has seen mixed institutional and insider activity: several funds increased holdings, while EVP Kim E. Robison sold 22,000 shares, trimming her ownership by about 15.9%.
• Analyst sentiment is improving, with Zacks upgrading WaFd to Strong-Buy and lifting earnings forecasts, while the company also beat quarterly expectations with $0.83 EPS on revenue of $197.66 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its position in WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,778,878 shares of the bank's stock after selling 272,792 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.49% of WaFd worth $281,187,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in WaFd by 14.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,011 shares of the bank's stock valued at $629,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 271.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 30,794 shares of the bank's stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 22,499 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 26.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 48,094 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 10,092 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 9.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 246,467 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,044,000 after purchasing an additional 20,865 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 862.6% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 69,306 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,981,000 after purchasing an additional 62,106 shares during the period. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kim E. Robison sold 22,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.28, for a total transaction of $776,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,972.72. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.49% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about WaFd

Here are the key news stories impacting WaFd this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its earnings forecasts for WaFd across several periods, including Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and FY2027, pointing to better expected profitability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The research firm reiterated a Strong-Buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around WaFd, Inc. NASDAQ: WAFD. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate Zacks note highlighted WaFd as a potential dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors but does not appear to be a major new catalyst on its own. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $34.00 price objective on shares of WaFd in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of WaFd from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of WaFd from $30.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of WaFd from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.80.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of WAFD opened at $35.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $32.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. WaFd, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.31 and a 52-week high of $36.10.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $197.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $190.51 million. WaFd had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that WaFd, Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Profile

Washington Federal, Inc, doing business as WaFd Bank, is a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Through its subsidiary, WaFd Bank, the company provides a range of banking and financial services to individuals, small-to-medium enterprises, and commercial clients. Established in 1917 as Ballard Savings & Loan in Seattle, the institution expanded over decades to serve customers across the Western United States under the Washington Federal name and has operated as a public company since the early 1980s.

WaFd Bank's core offerings encompass deposit accounts such as checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit, alongside consumer and commercial lending products.

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