WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 159,726 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in WaFd were worth $5,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAFD. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of WaFd by 112.7% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 701 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WaFd by 68.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,000 shares of the bank’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 136.7% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,638 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 2,101 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,762 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WaFd during the 3rd quarter worth about $237,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of WAFD stock opened at $28.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $29.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.83. WaFd, Inc has a 12 month low of $25.79 and a 12 month high of $38.62.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. WaFd’s payout ratio is 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAFD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson downgraded WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $35.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.75.

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.