First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• First Western Financial has been upgraded from a "sell" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting analysts' improved outlook on the stock.
• The company reported earnings of $0.26 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations by $0.13, and had total revenue of $22.42 million, also falling short of estimates.
• Significant recent share transactions include CEO Scott C. Wylie selling 5,000 shares, reducing his ownership slightly, while various hedge funds have increased their stakes in the company.

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday.

First Western Financial Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of First Western Financial stock traded down $0.46 on Friday, reaching $23.04. 15,753 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,398. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $223.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36 and a beta of 0.87. First Western Financial has a one year low of $17.10 and a one year high of $24.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.78 and a 200 day moving average of $21.25.

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.13). First Western Financial had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 4.55%. The firm had revenue of $22.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.28 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that First Western Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Western Financial news, CEO Scott C. Wylie sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total value of $117,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 757,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,861,498.76. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 17.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Western Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MYFW. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in First Western Financial by 244.9% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,259 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in First Western Financial by 40.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,159 shares of the company's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 4,383 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its stake in First Western Financial by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 17,296 shares of the company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Sippican Capital Advisors grew its stake in First Western Financial by 61.9% during the first quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors now owns 40,070 shares of the company's stock worth $787,000 after purchasing an additional 15,325 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in First Western Financial by 12.3% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 18,664 shares of the company's stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,047 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

First Western Financial Company Profile

First Western Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, provides wealth advisory, private baking, personal trust, investment management, mortgage lending, and institutional asset management services. The company operates through two segments: Wealth Management and Mortgage. The Wealth Management segment provides deposit, loan, life insurance, and trust and investment management advisory products and services.