Franklin Resources Inc. Invests $520,000 in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA)

Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 21,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $520,000. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.06% of Heritage Financial as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 0.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 123,283 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,684,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in Heritage Financial by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 49,841 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,221,000 after buying an additional 2,477 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 24,968 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 3,814 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,594,963 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,722,000 after purchasing an additional 4,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Heritage Financial by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 118,851 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 5,723 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.30% of the company's stock.

Heritage Financial Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ HFWA traded up $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $23.18. The company had a trading volume of 16,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,591. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.16. The stock has a market cap of $787.91 million, a P/E ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.47. Heritage Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $16.55 and a 52-week high of $27.58.

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.06. Heritage Financial had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 7.17%. Sell-side analysts predict that Heritage Financial Co. will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Heritage Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Activity at Heritage Financial

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Deuel sold 7,033 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.66, for a total value of $166,400.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 70,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,677,635.96. This represents a 9.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Donald Hinson sold 3,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total value of $80,677.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $992,832.33. This represents a 7.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,311 shares of company stock valued at $369,193. 1.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.