First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Separately, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of First Financial Northwest in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

First Financial Northwest Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FFNW traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $22.70. 64,839 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 38,162. The company’s 50 day moving average is $21.33 and its 200 day moving average is $21.93. First Financial Northwest has a one year low of $18.03 and a one year high of $23.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.52 million, a PE ratio of 206.38 and a beta of 0.51.

First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.08. First Financial Northwest had a net margin of 1.34% and a return on equity of 0.67%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial Northwest will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FFNW. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Northwest by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 4,113 shares of the bank’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in First Financial Northwest by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,914 shares of the bank’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of First Financial Northwest by 167.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,009 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 5,013 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Northwest by 29.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,035 shares of the bank’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 2,079 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Northwest by 272.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,140 shares of the bank’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 6,689 shares during the period. 55.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Northwest Bank that provides commercial banking services in Washington. The company offers a range of deposit products, including noninterest-bearing accounts, interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.