Yousif Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA)

Yousif Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,259 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,430 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Heritage Financial were worth $369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter worth $81,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $145,000. Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter worth $210,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $184,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Heritage Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $206,000. 78.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heritage Financial Price Performance

HFWA opened at $19.03 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $659.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $18.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.83. Heritage Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $15.04 and a 12-month high of $22.55.

Heritage Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. Heritage Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HFWA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Heritage Financial from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Heritage Financial from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Heritage Financial in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Heritage Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Heritage Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.25.

About Heritage Financial

Heritage Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Heritage Bank that provides various financial services to small and medium sized businesses and individuals in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, such as noninterest demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, money market accounts, savings accounts, personal checking accounts, and certificates of deposit.