Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its position in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA - Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,496,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 231,056 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 4.38% of Heritage Financial worth $36,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Heritage Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $157,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Heritage Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. bought a new position in Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter worth $168,000. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter worth $215,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Heritage Financial during the 4th quarter worth $229,000. 78.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Heritage Financial Stock Down 5.5 %
HFWA stock traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $21.04. 22,097 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 206,044. The stock has a market cap of $715.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Heritage Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $16.55 and a fifty-two week high of $27.58. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $23.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.13.
Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.06. Heritage Financial had a return on equity of 7.17% and a net margin of 13.64%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Heritage Financial Co. will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Heritage Financial Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 6th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 6th. This is a boost from Heritage Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Heritage Financial's payout ratio is 77.42%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Deuel sold 7,033 shares of Heritage Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.66, for a total value of $166,400.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 70,906 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,677,635.96. The trade was a 9.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Donald Hinson sold 3,420 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total transaction of $80,677.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,087 shares in the company, valued at $992,832.33. The trade was a 7.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,311 shares of company stock valued at $369,193. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Separately, StockNews.com raised Heritage Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Heritage Financial
About Heritage Financial
(
Free Report)
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.
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