Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Pathward Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pathward Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.00.

Pathward Financial Stock Up 7.3%

CASH stock opened at $85.72 on Friday. Pathward Financial has a 52 week low of $64.45 and a 52 week high of $86.92. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $173.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.80 million. Pathward Financial had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 22.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.29 EPS. Pathward Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-9.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pathward Financial will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pathward Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Pathward Financial’s payout ratio is currently 2.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pathward Financial news, Director Douglas J. Hajek sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.11, for a total value of $204,330.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,132,737.41. The trade was a 15.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pathward Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pathward Financial by 647.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 344 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Pathward Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pathward Financial by 43,200.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 433 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Pathward Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Pathward Financial by 10.6% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,281 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.66% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Pathward Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Pathward Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and net income growth — Pathward reported $1.57 GAAP EPS (vs. $1.38 consensus) and net income of $35.2M, improving year-over-year EPS and showing strong margins/ROE, which supports valuation re-rating. Pathward Financial (CASH) Surpasses Q1 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 guidance raised — management updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $8.55–$9.05 (above prior consensus ~$8.45), which signals confidence in margins and earnings power for the year. Pathward Financial raises 2026 EPS guidance to $8.55-$9.05 while expanding partner pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher price target — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded CASH to “Outperform” with a $100 target (~16.7% above the prior price), providing third‑party validation that may drive additional buying. Finviz
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available — the company posted its press release, slide deck and full earnings call/transcript for review, giving investors more detail on drivers (partner pipeline, margin dynamics). Pathward Financial, Inc. Announces Results for 2026 Fiscal First Quarter Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates and was roughly flat year-over-year — Q1 revenue was $173.1M vs. ~$185.8M expected and was down 0.2% YoY, which introduces execution risk on top-line growth despite the EPS beat. Pathward Financial beats Q1 earnings estimates, revenue falls short

Pathward Financial Company Profile

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) is a U.S.-based financial services company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pathward Bank. The company provides a range of banking and payment solutions designed for consumers, small businesses, community banks and fintech partners. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, debit and prepaid card programs, digital banking platforms and treasury management services.

Through its banking charter, Pathward Financial delivers customizable payment solutions, including prepaid cards, payroll cards and benefit disbursement programs.