Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Cuts WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Price Target to $34.00

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) had its price objective cut by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $42.00 to $34.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the bank’s stock.

WAFD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com raised WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective on shares of WaFd in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four research 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 presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.00.

WaFd Stock Performance

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $29.43 on Tuesday. WaFd has a 52-week low of $25.78 and a 52-week high of $38.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.92 and a 200-day moving average of $34.41. The company has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.93%.

Insider Transactions at WaFd

In other news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total value of $404,359.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,345,532.08. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WaFd

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 139,530 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after buying an additional 27,100 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in WaFd by 7.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,225,248 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,700,000 after acquiring an additional 84,155 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in WaFd by 11.9% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 186,174 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,488,000 after purchasing an additional 19,751 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in WaFd by 33.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 161,958 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,643,000 after purchasing an additional 40,499 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of WaFd by 6.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.