First Financial Northwest, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFNW) Short Interest Update

First Financial Northwest, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFNW - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 74,300 shares, a decrease of 7.1% from the March 31st total of 80,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 27,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

First Financial Northwest Stock Performance

First Financial Northwest stock traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $20.17. The company had a trading volume of 61,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,441. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $184.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.97 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.57 and a 200-day moving average of $16.86. First Financial Northwest has a 52 week low of $9.70 and a 52 week high of $22.17.

First Financial Northwest Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. First Financial Northwest's payout ratio is presently 76.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FFNW shares. DA Davidson lowered shares of First Financial Northwest from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, January 12th. StockNews.com began coverage on First Financial Northwest in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on First Financial Northwest from $15.00 to $23.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of First Financial Northwest from $14.00 to $23.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $23.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Northwest

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Northwest in the 4th quarter worth approximately $117,000. Choreo LLC boosted its stake in First Financial Northwest by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 19,280 shares of the bank's stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Northwest in the 3rd quarter valued at $324,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Financial Northwest by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 94,407 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,201,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Black Maple Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Northwest by 86.1% during the 4th quarter. Black Maple Capital Management LP now owns 97,183 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 44,952 shares during the period. 55.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Northwest Bank that provides commercial banking services in Washington. The company offers a range of deposit products, including noninterest-bearing accounts, interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.

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