Zacks Research Weighs in on WaFd's Q3 Earnings (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised WaFd’s Q3 2027 EPS estimate to $0.84 from $0.83, while maintaining a Hold rating. The broader analyst consensus is also Hold, with a $37.00 price target.
• WaFd’s latest quarterly results showed EPS of $0.81, narrowly missing the $0.82 consensus, although revenue of $205.52 million exceeded estimates of $199.56 million.
• The bank pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27, equivalent to $1.08 annually and a 2.9% yield. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the stock, and several funds recently increased their positions.

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of WaFd in a note issued to investors on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the bank will post earnings of $0.84 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.83. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for WaFd's current full-year earnings is $3.21 per share.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on WaFd from $30.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of WaFd from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of WaFd from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of WaFd from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.00.

WaFd Price Performance

NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $37.16 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average is $37.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.51. The company has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.84. WaFd has a twelve month low of $26.31 and a twelve month high of $39.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.01). WaFd had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 18.47%.The business had revenue of $205.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.56 million.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of WaFd

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of WaFd during the first quarter worth $1,055,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in shares of WaFd in the third quarter worth about $1,387,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in WaFd by 75,681.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 71,992 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 71,897 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in WaFd by 37.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 191,044 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,999,000 after acquiring an additional 52,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in WaFd by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 525,351 shares of the bank's stock valued at $16,827,000 after acquiring an additional 42,536 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WaFd News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting WaFd this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts for WaFd’s second quarter of 2028 to $0.89 from $0.85 and fourth quarter of 2027 to $0.87 from $0.86. These increases suggest some confidence in the bank’s longer-term earnings potential. WaFd analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: WaFd Bank announced a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross for wildfire relief in Spokane and Eastern Washington. The contribution may support the bank’s community reputation, but its financial impact is unlikely to materially affect valuation. WaFd Bank Donates $100,000 to American Red Cross
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple WaFd forecasts, including fourth-quarter 2026 EPS to $0.80 from $0.83, full-year 2026 EPS to $3.19 from $3.21, first-quarter 2027 EPS to $0.84 from $0.85, second-quarter 2027 EPS to $0.81 from $0.82, third-quarter 2028 EPS to $0.88 from $0.91, and full-year 2028 EPS to $3.53 from $3.62. The revisions indicate slightly weaker expected profitability. Zacks maintained a Hold rating, while the current-year consensus remains $3.21 per share. Zacks Research WaFd estimates

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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