Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 2,195 Shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 24.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,249 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,195 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in WaFd were worth $363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of WaFd during the fourth quarter worth $1,766,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in WaFd by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 161,958 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,643,000 after acquiring an additional 40,499 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of WaFd by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 447,621 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,431,000 after acquiring an additional 19,117 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 26,463 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 18,574 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the period. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Trading Up 6.6 %

Shares of WAFD stock opened at $26.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.63 and a 200-day moving average of $32.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. WaFd, Inc has a 12-month low of $23.91 and a 12-month high of $38.62.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of WaFd from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $35.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, WaFd currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.75.

About WaFd

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.