WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of WaFd from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, WaFd presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.00.

WaFd Trading Down 4.0%

Shares of WAFD opened at $32.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. WaFd has a 12-month low of $23.75 and a 12-month high of $33.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.97.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $191.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.36 million. WaFd had a net margin of 16.02% and a return on equity of 8.40%. As a group, research analysts predict that WaFd will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. WaFd’s payout ratio is currently 40.91%.

Insider Activity

In other WaFd news, CEO Brent J. Beardall acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.85 per share, for a total transaction of $50,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,100. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in WaFd by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,077,059 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,914,000 after buying an additional 40,569 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of WaFd by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,541,973 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,149,000 after acquiring an additional 10,646 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of WaFd by 11.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,375,110 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,652,000 after acquiring an additional 145,646 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in WaFd by 14.3% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,100,312 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,328,000 after acquiring an additional 137,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in WaFd by 6.3% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 698,303 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $21,152,000 after purchasing an additional 41,598 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting WaFd

Here are the key news stories impacting WaFd this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 drivers — analysts and coverage noted a sizable year-over-year earnings lift driven by higher net interest income, solid non-interest income and lower expenses, which supports earnings power. WAFD Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher NII, Expenses Decline
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst action — at least one shop upgraded WaFd, signaling some analyst confidence in the franchise and outlook after the quarter. WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call transparency — full Q1 earnings call transcripts and recordings are available (InsiderMonkey, Seeking Alpha, MarketBeat), giving investors direct access to management commentary for assessment. WaFd, Inc. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: Press release and call materials — company filings and call recording are posted for review, useful for modeling and credit-read-throughs. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term results missed consensus — reported EPS came in a hair below consensus and revenue was slightly under expectations, which likely pressured sentiment. WaFd Q4/CY2025 Earnings Snapshot (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Credit concerns flagged on the call — management discussed balancing growth with emerging credit strains and portfolio monitoring, increasing uncertainty around loan-loss provisioning and future credit costs. Washington Federal Balances Growth, Credit Strains in Call
• Negative Sentiment: Media mixed on headline metrics — some outlets highlighted conflicting EPS figures and headline framing (e.g., sales below estimates), adding to investor uncertainty. WaFd reports sales below analyst estimates (MSN)

WaFd Company Profile

Washington Federal, Inc, doing business as WaFd Bank, is a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Through its subsidiary, WaFd Bank, the company provides a range of banking and financial services to individuals, small-to-medium enterprises, and commercial clients. Established in 1917 as Ballard Savings & Loan in Seattle, the institution expanded over decades to serve customers across the Western United States under the Washington Federal name and has operated as a public company since the early 1980s.

WaFd Bank’s core offerings encompass deposit accounts such as checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit, alongside consumer and commercial lending products.