Headlands Technologies LLC Invests $454,000 in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 14,079 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $454,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in WaFd by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 469,704 shares of the bank's stock worth $15,143,000 after acquiring an additional 283,953 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of WaFd by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,432,523 shares of the bank's stock worth $49,923,000 after purchasing an additional 253,044 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of WaFd by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,774,081 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,196,000 after acquiring an additional 234,977 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of WaFd in the fourth quarter worth about $6,539,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of WaFd by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,969,790 shares of the bank's stock worth $138,347,000 after acquiring an additional 195,845 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD traded up $1.64 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 955,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 512,176. The company has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. WaFd, Inc has a 12-month low of $23.91 and a 12-month high of $38.62. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $28.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.16.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from WaFd's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. WaFd's payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAFD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson downgraded WaFd from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of WaFd from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of WaFd in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WaFd has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.75.

WaFd 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.