Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for WaFd Earnings

WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for WaFd in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 18th. Zacks Research analyst S. Shah now anticipates that the bank will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.82. The consensus estimate for WaFd’s current full-year earnings is $2.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.82 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.22 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.34 EPS.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $389.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.43 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.97%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.72 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on WAFD. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.00.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WAFD opened at $32.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. WaFd has a 12-month low of $25.78 and a 12-month high of $38.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.62 and a 200 day moving average of $33.67.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WaFd news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total transaction of $404,359.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,345,532.08. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WaFd

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 80.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of WaFd by 112.7% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in WaFd by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,644 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in WaFd by 515.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in WaFd by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Company Profile

WaFd, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Washington Federal Bank that provides lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business and personal checking accounts, and term certificates of deposit, as well as money market accounts and passbook savings accounts.