Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stock Holdings in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,383,086 shares of the bank's stock after selling 177,737 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 6.60% of WaFd worth $173,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in WaFd by 983.5% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,116 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew 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 during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in WaFd by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the bank's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of WaFd by 68.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 812 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of WaFd by 136.7% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,638 shares of the bank's stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 2,101 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WaFd Stock Performance

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $28.41 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $28.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. WaFd, Inc has a 1 year low of $23.75 and a 1 year high of $38.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09 and a beta of 0.79.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.05. WaFd had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 12.66%. The company had revenue of $179.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.17 million. Analysts predict that WaFd, Inc will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a positive change from WaFd's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. WaFd's payout ratio is presently 40.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of WaFd from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson lowered WaFd from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.50.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.