XTX Topco Ltd Purchases New Position in WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd has invested approximately $263,000 in WaFd, Inc., acquiring 9,213 shares during the first quarter of the year.
• WaFd's stock is currently trading at $29.68 with a market cap of $2.34 billion, and the company reported earnings per share of $0.73 exceeding analysts' expectations.
• Wall Street analysts recently upgraded WaFd's rating to "hold" and adjusted their price targets, with a consensus average target price of $32.25.

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 9,213 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $263,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in WaFd by 35.2% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the bank's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in WaFd by 12.7% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,239 shares of the bank's stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in WaFd during the fourth quarter valued at about $141,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in WaFd by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,987 shares of the bank's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Finally, Crestline Management LP bought a new position in WaFd during the fourth quarter valued at about $258,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WAFD shares. DA Davidson boosted their price target on WaFd from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note 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. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of WaFd from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their target price 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.25.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of WaFd stock traded down $0.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.57. 310,639 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 540,165. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $29.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.96. WaFd, Inc. has a twelve month low of $23.75 and a twelve month high of $38.62. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.90.

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

WaFd Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors 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 yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. WaFd's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.