WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating on WaFd (4 holds, 1 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $34.80, and recent price-target upgrades from Keefe (to $38) and Piper Sandler (to $36).
• WaFd beat Q earnings and revenue (EPS $0.83 vs. $0.74 est.; revenue $197.66M vs. $190.51M) and analysts project about $3.06 in EPS for the current fiscal year; the bank also pays a $0.27 quarterly dividend (≈3.0% yield).
• EVP Cathy E. Cooper sold 5,300 shares at an average $33.77, insiders hold 1.49% while institutional investors own 83.71%, and the stock trades near $35.45 with a market cap of ~$2.69B and a P/E of 11.58.

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.80.

Several research firms have recently commented on WAFD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of WaFd from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $34.00 price objective on WaFd in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded WaFd from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Cathy E. Cooper sold 5,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.77, for a total transaction of $178,981.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 94,755 shares in the company, valued at $3,199,876.35. This represents a 5.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WaFd

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 42.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,174 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in WaFd by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the bank's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of WaFd by 604.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the bank's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 36.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,837 shares of the bank's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company's stock.

WaFd Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ WAFD opened at $35.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. WaFd has a one year low of $26.31 and a one year high of $36.01. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $32.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.83.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $197.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.51 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 18.25%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.17 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that WaFd will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. WaFd's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

About WaFd

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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