Systematic Financial Management LP Raises Stock Position in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD - Free Report) by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,432,523 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 253,044 shares during the quarter. WaFd accounts for approximately 1.3% of Systematic Financial Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Systematic Financial Management LP owned approximately 1.76% of WaFd worth $49,923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of WaFd by 80.8% during the 3rd 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 period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 822 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of WaFd by 515.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,305 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of WaFd by 60.1% during the 3rd 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. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WaFd in the 2nd quarter worth $80,000. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WaFd Price Performance

Shares of WAFD stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $36.07. The company had a trading volume of 119,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 441,548. The company has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.84. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $35.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.09. WaFd, Inc has a 52-week low of $25.78 and a 52-week high of $38.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $389.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $190.43 million. WaFd had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.97%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that WaFd, Inc will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. WaFd's payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at WaFd

In related news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total transaction of $404,359.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,532.08. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on WAFD shares. DA Davidson boosted their price target on WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WaFd from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.00.

About WaFd

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.