Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 374,606 Shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its position in shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 70.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,635 shares of the bank's stock after selling 374,606 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.19% of WaFd worth $5,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of WaFd by 80.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in WaFd by 112.7% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of WaFd by 515.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of WaFd by 100.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,644 shares of the bank's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in WaFd by 60.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company's stock.

WaFd Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $30.25 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock's fifty day moving average is $34.23 and its 200 day moving average is $34.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 0.87. WaFd, Inc has a fifty-two week low of $25.78 and a fifty-two week high of $38.62.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. WaFd's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $38.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a research report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other WaFd news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total value of $404,359.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 100,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,345,532.08. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

WaFd Company Profile

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.