KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 17,038 WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,038 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $549,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in WaFd by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,424 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group boosted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 11,134 shares of the bank’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in WaFd by 112.7% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in WaFd by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

WaFd Price Performance

NASDAQ WAFD opened at $28.75 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. WaFd, Inc has a 12 month low of $25.79 and a 12 month high of $38.62. The stock has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average is $29.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.64.

WaFd Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from WaFd’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. WaFd’s payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WAFD shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com upgraded WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Friday, January 17th. DA Davidson lowered WaFd from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.75.

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.