WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Price Target Raised to $34.00

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $31.00 to $34.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the bank’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 4.97% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.63.

WaFd Trading Down 4.0%

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $32.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.86. WaFd has a 52 week low of $23.75 and a 52 week high of $33.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.98.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). WaFd had a net margin of 17.45% and a return on equity of 8.67%. The business had revenue of $191.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.36 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that WaFd will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Brent J. Beardall acquired 3,000 shares of WaFd stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.85 per share, for a total transaction of $50,550.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,100. This represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in WaFd in the 4th quarter worth approximately $269,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 219,558 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,032,000 after purchasing an additional 5,372 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in WaFd by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 53,645 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,718,000 after buying an additional 28,406 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in WaFd by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,773 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 876 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in WaFd in the third quarter valued at $1,387,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Company 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.