Verition Fund Management LLC Buys 4,131 Shares of WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) by 6.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,513 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC owned 0.08% of WaFd worth $2,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAFD. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in WaFd by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 139,530 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,988,000 after acquiring an additional 27,100 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of WaFd by 11.9% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 186,174 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,488,000 after purchasing an additional 19,751 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of WaFd by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,225,248 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,700,000 after purchasing an additional 84,155 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of WaFd by 618.6% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 47,972 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,371,000 after buying an additional 41,296 shares during the period. Finally, Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC purchased a new stake in WaFd during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,823,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

WaFd Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $35.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.84. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $35.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.10. WaFd, Inc has a 52-week low of $25.78 and a 52-week high of $38.62.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. WaFd had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.97%. The business had revenue of $389.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that WaFd, Inc will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WaFd Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAFD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on WaFd from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,345,532.08. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.