Zacks Research Has Bullish Outlook for WaFd FY2026 Earnings

WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for WaFd in a report issued on Tuesday, January 14th. Zacks Research analyst S. Shah now anticipates that the bank will post earnings of $3.23 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $3.22. The consensus estimate for WaFd's current full-year earnings is $2.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.83 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WAFD. StockNews.com upgraded WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a report on Monday, October 21st. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, WaFd currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.50.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,302,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 413,788. 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 simple moving average is $34.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 0.87. WaFd has a 1-year low of $25.78 and a 1-year high of $38.62.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. WaFd had a net margin of 13.97% and a return on equity of 9.44%. The business had revenue of $389.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $190.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.72 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WaFd

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WAFD. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 80.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 822 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of WaFd by 60.1% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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 approximately $3,345,532.08. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. WaFd's payout ratio is 41.94%.

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.