What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for WaFd FY2026 Earnings?

WaFd, Inc (NASDAQ:WAFD) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for WaFd in a report issued on Thursday, January 16th. Zacks Research analyst S. Shah now forecasts that the bank will post earnings per share of $3.25 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.23. The consensus estimate for WaFd’s current full-year earnings is $2.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WaFd’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.84 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on WAFD. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WaFd from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of WaFd in a research note on Friday, January 17th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of WaFd from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of WaFd from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of WaFd from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.00.

WaFd Stock Performance

Shares of WAFD stock opened at $29.88 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.43. WaFd has a 52 week low of $25.78 and a 52 week high of $38.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WaFd by 80.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of WaFd by 112.7% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WaFd by 515.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the bank’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of WaFd by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,644 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in WaFd by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,904 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at WaFd

In other WaFd news, EVP Ryan Mauer sold 12,132 shares of WaFd stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.33, for a total value of $404,359.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 100,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,532.08. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

WaFd Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. WaFd’s payout ratio is presently 47.93%.

WaFd Company Profile

WaFd, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Washington Federal Bank that provides lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business and personal checking accounts, and term certificates of deposit, as well as money market accounts and passbook savings accounts.