WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts hold a neutral view of WaFd: Four of five covering brokerages rate the stock “Hold,” while one recommends buying it. The average 12-month price target is $37.00, slightly above the reported $36.64 share price.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial: Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of WaFd, with several firms—including AQR Capital Management and Jane Street—recently increasing their positions.
• Quarterly results were mixed: WaFd reported earnings of $0.81 per share, narrowly missing estimates, but revenue of $205.52 million exceeded expectations. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, implying a 2.9% annual yield.

Shares of WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WAFD shares. Zacks Research cut shares of WaFd from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson raised their target price on WaFd from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on WaFd from $30.50 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on WaFd from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded WaFd from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of WAFD opened at $36.64 on Thursday. WaFd has a one year low of $26.31 and a one year high of $39.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $36.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $205.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.56 million. WaFd had a net margin of 18.47% and a return on equity of 8.98%. On average, equities research analysts expect that WaFd will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. WaFd's dividend payout ratio is 34.07%.

WaFd Company 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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