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Investing.com - DA Davidson has reiterated a Buy rating and $28.00 price target on Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA), currently trading at $24.77, following the bank’s announcement of its intention to acquire Olympic Bancorp. The stock remains below analysts’ highest target of $34, suggesting potential upside.
The acquisition would strengthen Heritage Financial’s presence in the Puget Sound region, adding a 117-year-old community bank with low-cost deposits and a high-quality franchise to its portfolio. The $841 million market cap bank has demonstrated strong dividend performance, maintaining payments for 15 consecutive years with a current yield of 3.9%.
DA Davidson views the deal pricing metrics and tangible book value dilution as reasonable, while highlighting the benefits of added scale, efficiency opportunities, and capital leverage as evident advantages of the transaction. According to InvestingPro analysis, Heritage Financial maintains a FAIR overall financial health score, with particularly strong cash flow metrics.
The firm noted this acquisition may signal that Heritage Financial is reactivating its whole bank M&A approach, which had been relatively inactive recently despite the company’s successful track record with acquisitions from 2010 to 2018.
Heritage Financial had previously built its business through multiple successful acquisitions during that eight-year period before entering a more dormant phase in its merger and acquisition strategy.
In other recent news, Heritage Financial Corporation reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings, showcasing a mixed financial performance. The company achieved an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.53, which exceeded analyst expectations of $0.50. However, the revenue figures were less favorable, with Heritage Financial reporting $56.5 million in revenue, falling short of the projected $63.54 million. In addition to its earnings report, Heritage Financial announced its acquisition of Olympic Bancorp, the parent company of Kitsap Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $176.6 million. Under the terms of the deal, Olympic shareholders are set to receive 45 shares of Heritage common stock for each Olympic share they hold. Upon completion of the acquisition, Olympic shareholders will own about 17.4% of the combined entity. These developments reflect Heritage Financial’s strategic moves in the financial sector.
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