UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Trims Stake in WaFd, Inc. $WAFD

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC cut its position in WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 17.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 141,040 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 30,725 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in WaFd were worth $5,412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in WaFd during the second quarter worth approximately $413,410,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,655,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of WaFd during the second quarter worth approximately $26,489,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of WaFd during the second quarter worth approximately $13,371,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 399.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 333,712 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,689,000 after acquiring an additional 266,891 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WAFD opened at $34.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.10. WaFd, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.31 and a 1-year high of $39.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.83.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $205.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.56 million. WaFd had a net margin of 18.47% and a return on equity of 8.98%. Sell-side analysts forecast that WaFd, Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. WaFd’s payout ratio is 34.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on WAFD shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of WaFd from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of WaFd from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of WaFd from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.00.

WaFd News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting WaFd this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The transaction is projected to generate approximately 29% earnings-per-share accretion in 2027. Management expects the combination to expand WaFd’s deposit base, diversify its commercial banking operations, and improve earnings scale. WaFd’s EverBank Merger Deal: A Boost to Earnings & Scale?
• Positive Sentiment: The combined institution is expected to have roughly $75 billion in assets, creating a larger regional bank with broader geographic reach. The deal pairs EverBank’s digital capabilities with WaFd’s established branch network, potentially improving customer acquisition and retention. EverBank-WaFd Deal Bridges Banking’s Digital and Branch Divide
• Neutral Sentiment: WaFd and EverBank discussed the strategic rationale and expected scale benefits on an M&A call. WaFd shareholders are expected to own approximately 40.8% of the combined company, making deal terms and integration execution important factors for investors. WaFd, Inc. M&A Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Two investor-rights law firms announced investigations into whether WaFd shareholders are receiving a fair price and whether the merger process adequately protects them. The investigations add legal and transaction uncertainty and may pressure sentiment until the deal advances. Halper Sadeh Investigation M&A Class Action Firm Investigation

WaFd Profile

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.