WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) Shares Sold by Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank lessened its holdings in shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,460 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 10,429 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in WaFd were worth $365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in WaFd by 80.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,644 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 515.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in WaFd during the second quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in WaFd in the first quarter valued at $194,000. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Price Performance

WAFD stock traded up $4.05 during trading on Thursday, hitting $38.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,207,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 449,106. WaFd, Inc has a twelve month low of $24.66 and a twelve month high of $38.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $35.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35 and a beta of 0.83.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last issued 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. WaFd had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.97%. The firm had revenue of $389.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that WaFd, Inc will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. WaFd’s payout ratio is 41.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WAFD shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, October 21st. DA Davidson boosted 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 downgraded WaFd from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of WaFd from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, WaFd has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total transaction of $404,359.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,532.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.25% of the company’s stock.

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.