Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Reduces Stock Position in Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in shares of Heritage Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HFWA - Free Report) by 75.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,654 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 92,419 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.09% of Heritage Financial worth $751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Heritage Financial by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,206,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,066,000 after acquiring an additional 465,708 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Heritage Financial by 105.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 73,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 37,606 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Heritage Financial by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 65,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 20,792 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Heritage Financial by 90.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 34,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 16,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in Heritage Financial by 73.8% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 35,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $782,000 after buying an additional 15,259 shares in the last quarter. 78.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Heritage Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

HFWA traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $21.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 333,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,918. Heritage Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $16.55 and a 1 year high of $27.58. The stock's 50-day moving average is $24.27 and its 200-day moving average is $24.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $725.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that Heritage Financial Co. will post 2.09 EPS for the current year.

Heritage Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 6th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 6th. This is a positive change from Heritage Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Heritage Financial's payout ratio is currently 77.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Heritage Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Donald Hinson sold 3,420 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total value of $80,677.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,087 shares in the company, valued at $992,832.33. The trade was a 7.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frederick B. Rivera sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.43, for a total value of $101,720.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,844 shares in the company, valued at $97,752.92. This trade represents a 50.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,311 shares of company stock worth $369,193 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Heritage Financial Company Profile

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.