Northern Trust Corp Reduces Stake in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Northern Trust Corp lessened its stake in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 832,426 shares of the bank's stock after selling 75,781 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.02% of WaFd worth $26,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in WaFd by 983.5% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,116 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of WaFd by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the bank's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 68.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 136.7% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,638 shares of the bank's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 2,101 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in WaFd by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,762 shares of the bank's stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.71% of the company's stock.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of WAFD traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $29.99. 131,895 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 531,247. The stock has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.85. WaFd, Inc has a 1-year low of $23.75 and a 1-year high of $38.62. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.91 and a 200-day moving average of $31.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.05. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 12.66%. The company had revenue of $179.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.17 million. Analysts expect that WaFd, Inc will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. WaFd's payout ratio is 40.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAFD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, April 14th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com upgraded WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. DA Davidson lowered WaFd from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on WaFd from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, WaFd presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.50.

WaFd Profile

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.