Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for WaFd Q2 Earnings

WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for WaFd in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the bank will post earnings per share of $0.73 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.72. The consensus estimate for WaFd’s current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.79 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.03 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.81 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.80 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.83 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.21 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $34.00 target price on shares of WaFd in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on WaFd from $33.50 to $30.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of WaFd in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on WaFd from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.90.

WaFd Stock Performance

WAFD opened at $33.04 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.86. WaFd has a 1-year low of $23.75 and a 1-year high of $34.29.

WaFd (NASDAQ:WAFD) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 16th. The bank reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). WaFd had a return on equity of 8.67% and a net margin of 17.45%.The firm had revenue of $188.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.36 million.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. WaFd’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.37%.

Insider Activity at WaFd

In other news, EVP Cathy E. Cooper sold 5,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.77, for a total transaction of $178,981.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 94,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,199,876.35. This represents a 5.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brent J. Beardall bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.85 per share, with a total value of $50,550.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,100. This represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WaFd

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 2.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its position in WaFd by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,557,436 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,885,000 after acquiring an additional 8,039 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in WaFd by 11.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,375,110 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,652,000 after acquiring an additional 145,646 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in WaFd by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 712,302 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $22,815,000 after purchasing an additional 38,376 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

About WaFd

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.