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WaFd (WAFD) Competitors

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$37.16 0.00 (0.00%)
Closing price 08/7/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$37.22 +0.06 (+0.16%)
As of 04:47 AM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

WAFD vs. ABCB, CATY, FFBC, HWC, and SFNC

Should you buy WaFd stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares WaFd with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with WaFd include Ameris Bancorp (ABCB), Cathay General Bancorp (CATY), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), Hancock Whitney (HWC), and Simmons First National (SFNC). These companies are all part of the "regional banks" industry.

How does WaFd compare to Ameris Bancorp?

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings and analyst recommendations.

In the previous week, WaFd had 12 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for WaFd and 4 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.20 beat WaFd's score of 0.15 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
WaFd
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $91.67, indicating a potential upside of 4.42%. WaFd has a consensus price target of $37.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.43%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than WaFd.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
WaFd
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than WaFd. WaFd is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ameris Bancorp$1.23B4.81$358.68M$5.5315.87
WaFd$782.48M3.51$226.07M$3.1711.72

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.7% of WaFd shares are held by institutional investors. 5.7% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of WaFd shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to WaFd's net margin of 18.47%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat WaFd's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp21.46% 9.57% 1.32%
WaFd 18.47%8.98%0.89%

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, WaFd has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. WaFd pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. WaFd pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WaFd has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. WaFd is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats WaFd on 16 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WaFd compare to Cathay General Bancorp?

Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) and WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

75.0% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.7% of WaFd shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.5% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of WaFd shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, WaFd had 12 more articles in the media than Cathay General Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for WaFd and 4 mentions for Cathay General Bancorp. Cathay General Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.86 beat WaFd's score of 0.15 indicating that Cathay General Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cathay General Bancorp
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
WaFd
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Cathay General Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. WaFd pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Cathay General Bancorp pays out 29.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. WaFd pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WaFd has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. WaFd is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Cathay General Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than WaFd. WaFd is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cathay General Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cathay General Bancorp$1.38B3.07$315.12M$5.1212.38
WaFd$782.48M3.51$226.07M$3.1711.72

Cathay General Bancorp has a beta of 0.86, indicating that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, WaFd has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Cathay General Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $62.25, suggesting a potential downside of 1.83%. WaFd has a consensus price target of $37.00, suggesting a potential downside of 0.43%. Given WaFd's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe WaFd is more favorable than Cathay General Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cathay General Bancorp
1 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
WaFd
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

Cathay General Bancorp has a net margin of 24.66% compared to WaFd's net margin of 18.47%. Cathay General Bancorp's return on equity of 11.71% beat WaFd's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cathay General Bancorp24.66% 11.71% 1.43%
WaFd 18.47%8.98%0.89%

Summary

Cathay General Bancorp beats WaFd on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WaFd compare to First Financial Bancorp.?

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings and risk.

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than WaFd. WaFd is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Financial Bancorp., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
WaFd$782.48M3.51$226.07M$3.1711.72
First Financial Bancorp.$1.26B2.80$255.60M$2.8311.89

83.7% of WaFd shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of WaFd shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, WaFd had 6 more articles in the media than First Financial Bancorp.. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for WaFd and 10 mentions for First Financial Bancorp.. First Financial Bancorp.'s average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat WaFd's score of 0.15 indicating that First Financial Bancorp. is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
WaFd
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
First Financial Bancorp.
7 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

First Financial Bancorp. has a net margin of 20.77% compared to WaFd's net margin of 18.47%. First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity of 11.13% beat WaFd's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
WaFd18.47% 8.98% 0.89%
First Financial Bancorp. 20.77%11.13%1.49%

WaFd currently has a consensus price target of $37.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.43%. First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus price target of $33.67, indicating a potential upside of 0.02%. Given First Financial Bancorp.'s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Financial Bancorp. is more favorable than WaFd.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WaFd
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

WaFd has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.92, meaning that its share price is 8% less volatile than the broader market.

WaFd pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. WaFd pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 35.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WaFd has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and First Financial Bancorp. has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats WaFd on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WaFd compare to Hancock Whitney?

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) and Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and media sentiment.

WaFd pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hancock Whitney pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. WaFd pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Hancock Whitney pays out 39.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WaFd has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Hancock Whitney has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years. WaFd is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

83.7% of WaFd shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.2% of Hancock Whitney shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of WaFd shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Hancock Whitney shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

WaFd presently has a consensus target price of $37.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.43%. Hancock Whitney has a consensus target price of $83.78, indicating a potential upside of 7.96%. Given Hancock Whitney's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Hancock Whitney is more favorable than WaFd.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WaFd
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
Hancock Whitney
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73

WaFd has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Hancock Whitney has a beta of 0.95, suggesting that its share price is 5% less volatile than the broader market.

Hancock Whitney has a net margin of 21.81% compared to WaFd's net margin of 18.47%. Hancock Whitney's return on equity of 11.36% beat WaFd's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
WaFd18.47% 8.98% 0.89%
Hancock Whitney 21.81%11.36%1.41%

Hancock Whitney has higher revenue and earnings than WaFd. WaFd is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hancock Whitney, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
WaFd$782.48M3.51$226.07M$3.1711.72
Hancock Whitney$2.02B3.12$486.07M$5.1015.22

In the previous week, WaFd had 8 more articles in the media than Hancock Whitney. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for WaFd and 8 mentions for Hancock Whitney. Hancock Whitney's average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat WaFd's score of 0.15 indicating that Hancock Whitney is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
WaFd
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Hancock Whitney
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Hancock Whitney beats WaFd on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WaFd compare to Simmons First National?

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) and Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk, media sentiment and valuation.

WaFd has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Simmons First National has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the broader market.

WaFd has a net margin of 18.47% compared to Simmons First National's net margin of -24.64%. WaFd's return on equity of 8.98% beat Simmons First National's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
WaFd18.47% 8.98% 0.89%
Simmons First National -24.64%8.32%1.16%

83.7% of WaFd shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.6% of Simmons First National shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of WaFd shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Simmons First National shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

WaFd currently has a consensus price target of $37.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.43%. Simmons First National has a consensus price target of $24.50, indicating a potential upside of 4.43%. Given Simmons First National's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Simmons First National is more favorable than WaFd.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WaFd
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
Simmons First National
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

WaFd pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Simmons First National pays an annual dividend of $0.86 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. WaFd pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Simmons First National pays out -34.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WaFd has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Simmons First National has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Simmons First National is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

WaFd has higher revenue and earnings than Simmons First National. Simmons First National is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than WaFd, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
WaFd$782.48M3.51$226.07M$3.1711.72
Simmons First National$160.24M21.24-$397.55M-$2.53N/A

In the previous week, WaFd had 12 more articles in the media than Simmons First National. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for WaFd and 4 mentions for Simmons First National. Simmons First National's average media sentiment score of 1.16 beat WaFd's score of 0.15 indicating that Simmons First National is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
WaFd
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Simmons First National
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Simmons First National beats WaFd on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding WAFD and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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WAFD vs. The Competition

MetricWaFdBanks IndustryFinance SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$2.75B$23.63B$14.02B$12.99B
Dividend Yield2.88%3.17%5.89%10.20%
P/E Ratio11.7228.0529.1925.05
Price / Sales3.519.64509.4184.12
Price / Cash12.0516.2030.2237.44
Price / Book1.071.393.726.43
Net Income$226.07M$2.57B$1.31B$348.10M
7 Day Performance-0.54%0.16%0.57%2.68%
1 Month Performance-2.47%2.85%1.04%-0.83%
1 Year Performance24.87%29.76%12.91%23.97%

WaFd Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
WAFD
WaFd
2.0257 of 5 stars
$37.16
flat
$37.00
-0.4%
+24.9%$2.75B$782.48M11.722,037
ABCB
Ameris Bancorp
3.9515 of 5 stars
$89.69
+1.7%
$91.67
+2.2%
+30.8%$6.03B$1.23B17.202,850
CATY
Cathay General Bancorp
3.0155 of 5 stars
$64.84
+1.5%
$62.25
-4.0%
+39.7%$4.34B$1.38B12.661,268
FFBC
First Financial Bancorp.
3.0807 of 5 stars
$34.74
+1.7%
$33.67
-3.1%
+42.1%$3.64B$1.26B12.272,199
HWC
Hancock Whitney
4.3673 of 5 stars
$78.81
+1.3%
$83.78
+6.3%
+33.2%$6.39B$2.02B15.443,627

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This page (NASDAQ:WAFD) was last updated on 8/10/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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