American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Washington Federal, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD – Get Rating) by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 471,636 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,216 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.72% of Washington Federal worth $15,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Washington Federal by 52.5% during the 3rd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 287,276 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,613,000 after acquiring an additional 98,900 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Washington Federal by 81.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 641,383 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,229,000 after purchasing an additional 288,104 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Washington Federal by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 390,001 shares of the bank’s stock worth $13,085,000 after purchasing an additional 90,759 shares during the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Washington Federal by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 151,911 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,097,000 after buying an additional 12,965 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Washington Federal by 1.3% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,275,867 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,250,000 after buying an additional 16,979 shares during the last quarter. 80.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Washington Federal Trading Up 3.6 %
NASDAQ:WAFD opened at $30.03 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.84. Washington Federal, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.90 and a 12-month high of $39.17. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 0.83.
Washington Federal Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 18th. Washington Federal’s payout ratio is 24.45%.
Insider Transactions at Washington Federal
In other news, Director Randall H. Talbot purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $31.10 per share, for a total transaction of $108,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 51,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,613,436.90. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Brent J. Beardall acquired 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $30.20 per share, with a total value of $48,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $872,598.80. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Randall H. Talbot acquired 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $31.10 per share, for a total transaction of $108,850.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 51,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,613,436.90. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 15,848 shares of company stock valued at $361,626. Insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts have issued reports on WAFD shares. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Washington Federal from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Washington Federal in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Washington Federal from $33.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Washington Federal from $41.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th.
Washington Federal Company Profile
Washington Federal, Inc engages in the provision of lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services to consumers. It operates under the Commercial Loans and Consumer Loans segments. The Commercial Loans segment is disaggregated into five classes: multi-family, commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, construction, and land acquisition and development.
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