Davidson Investment Advisors Boosts Holdings in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Davidson Investment Advisors boosted its stake in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 295,524 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,198 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors owned 0.36% of WaFd worth $9,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 80.8% in 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. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of WaFd by 112.7% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 701 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of WaFd by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,797 shares of the bank’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of WaFd during the 3rd quarter worth $194,000. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WAFD. StockNews.com raised shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. DA Davidson cut shares of WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $35.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective 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. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.75.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $29.77 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.55 and a 200 day moving average of $34.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.85. WaFd, Inc has a 12 month low of $25.78 and a 12 month high of $38.62.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. This is a boost from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.93%.

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.