First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

First Financial Northwest Stock Performance

Shares of First Financial Northwest stock traded up $0.13 on Wednesday, hitting $21.61. 19,177 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,065. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.46 million, a PE ratio of 196.47 and a beta of 0.53. First Financial Northwest has a 1 year low of $20.10 and a 1 year high of $23.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.10.

First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.08. First Financial Northwest had a return on equity of 0.66% and a net margin of 1.31%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Financial Northwest will post 0.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Northwest

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in First Financial Northwest by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 21,348 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in First Financial Northwest by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 87,417 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,969,000 after acquiring an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Northwest by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 4,113 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of First Financial Northwest by 167.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 5,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial Northwest by 272.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,140 shares of the bank’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 6,689 shares during the last quarter. 55.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Financial Northwest Company Profile

First Financial Northwest, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Northwest Bank that provides commercial banking services in Washington. The company offers a range of deposit products, including noninterest-bearing accounts, interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.