WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Given New $34.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $31.00 to $34.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the bank’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price suggests a potential upside of 4.97% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.63.

WaFd Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $32.39 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. WaFd has a 12 month low of $23.75 and a 12 month high of $33.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.98. The company has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.86.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $191.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.36 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.67% and a net margin of 17.45%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that WaFd will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Brent J. Beardall bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.85 per share, with a total value of $50,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,100. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of WaFd

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in WaFd by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,077,059 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $62,914,000 after purchasing an additional 40,569 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in WaFd by 0.7% in the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,541,973 shares of the bank’s stock worth $45,149,000 after buying an additional 10,646 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in WaFd by 11.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,375,110 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,652,000 after buying an additional 145,646 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in WaFd by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,100,312 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,328,000 after acquiring an additional 137,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 698,303 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $21,152,000 after acquiring an additional 41,598 shares during the period. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.