Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for WaFd Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has reduced its Q2 2027 earnings per share estimate for WaFd, Inc. to $0.82, down from a previous estimate of $0.83.
• Despite the pessimistic outlook, WaFd's stock has seen analysts maintain a "Hold" rating, with a consensus average target price of $32.25.
• The company recently declared a $0.27 quarterly dividend, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.5%, with a payout ratio of 41.06%.

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of WaFd in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the bank will post earnings of $0.82 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.83. The consensus estimate for WaFd's current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd's FY2027 earnings at $3.47 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stephens boosted their target price on WaFd from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on WaFd from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. DA Davidson boosted their target price on WaFd from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on WaFd from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.25.

WaFd Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $30.96 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. WaFd has a 1 year low of $23.75 and a 1 year high of $38.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.34.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.06. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 15.57%.The business had revenue of $186.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $184.47 million.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WaFd

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAFD. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of WaFd in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of WaFd by 42.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,174 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of WaFd by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of WaFd by 712.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,901 shares of the bank's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of WaFd by 35.2% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the bank's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other WaFd news, Director Sean Singleton sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.71, for a total value of $31,836.84. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,278 shares of the company's stock, valued at $294,205.38. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. WaFd's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.06%.

WaFd Company 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.

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