WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) Shares Acquired by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 136.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,638 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 2,101 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in WaFd were worth $117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 84,155 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of WaFd by 11.9% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 186,174 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,488,000 after buying an additional 19,751 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of WaFd by 33.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 161,958 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,643,000 after buying an additional 40,499 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of WaFd by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 447,621 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,431,000 after buying an additional 19,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of WaFd by 6.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 26,463 shares of the bank’s stock worth $954,000 after buying an additional 1,669 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WAFD opened at $28.24 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. WaFd, Inc has a twelve month low of $25.78 and a twelve month high of $38.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $29.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.83.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. This is a boost from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. WaFd’s payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAFD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson cut WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.