WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a report on Friday, January 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson downgraded shares of WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.75.

WaFd Stock Up 0.2 %

WAFD stock opened at $28.81 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. WaFd has a 12 month low of $25.78 and a 12 month high of $38.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $30.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.60.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WaFd

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in WaFd in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,163,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in WaFd by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 225,602 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,273,000 after buying an additional 67,640 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in WaFd by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,506,368 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,565,000 after buying an additional 73,845 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 107,324 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,460,000 after purchasing an additional 16,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WaFd during the 4th quarter worth $950,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

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.