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Friday, Stephens reaffirmed their Equal Weight rating on Washington Federal (NASDAQ:WAFD), with a steady price target of $38.00. According to InvestingPro data, the $2.52B market cap bank currently trades at an attractive P/E ratio of 12.45, with analysis suggesting the stock may be undervalued relative to its Fair Value.
The review followed the company's fourth-quarter operational earnings per share (EPS) report, which revealed a figure of $0.62, contrasting with Stephens and the consensus estimates of $0.52 and $0.65, respectively. Despite this, Washington Federal encountered some financial headwinds, including a $5.4 million restructuring operating expense and a $3.9 million mark-to-market swap adjustment.
The company's operating pre-provision net revenue (PPNR) of $69.4 million fell short of Stephens' forecast by 1.1% and missed consensus expectations by a more significant 10.5%. This shortfall was largely due to net interest income (NII) challenges, with adjusted NII reaching $159.4 million, down 7% from the consensus and resulting in a quarter-over-quarter net interest margin (NIM) decline of 17 basis points to 2.45%. Despite these challenges, InvestingPro data shows the company maintains solid revenue growth of 5.31% over the last twelve months.
Fee income, however, aligned with expectations, while operating expenses of $105.7 million were approximately 4% better than anticipated. In a strategic shift, Washington Federal announced its exit from the single-family residential (SFR) lending business, a move expected to yield an annualized expense reduction of $17 million by the end of the second quarter, accounting for roughly 3.7% of Stephens' estimated expenses for 2026.
The company's credit quality showed positive results, yet the significant PPNR miss and the deterioration in NIM and NII have led Stephens to predict that Washington Federal shares might underperform in the market on Monday. The Equal Weight rating reflects a neutral stance on the stock's near-term trajectory.
Notably, InvestingPro highlights the company's impressive 42-year streak of maintaining dividend payments, with a current yield of 3.35%. Subscribers can access additional insights, including 8 more ProTips and comprehensive financial metrics, to make more informed investment decisions.
In other recent news, WaFd Inc. disclosed its earnings results for the quarter and fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, exceeding analysts' projections with operational earnings per share (EPS) of $0.76, outpacing the predicted $0.51. The company's pre-provision net revenue (PPNR) also surpassed expectations, reaching $85.6 million, an 18% beat. The company also declared a cash dividend of $12.1875 per share on its 4.875% Fixed Rate Series A Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, and a regular quarterly cash dividend of 26 cents per share.
In merger news, WaFd Inc. completed the sale of $3.2 billion of Loan Balance Challenge (LBC) loans, a strategic move aimed at improving the company's balance sheet flexibility. This merger has led to WaFd's balance sheet being viewed as more thrift-like.
On the analyst front, Piper Sandler revised its outlook on WaFd, lowering the stock's price target to $35 from the previous $36, while maintaining a Neutral rating. This adjustment was influenced by a range of factors including a smaller balance sheet, reduced fee income, and increased non-interest expense. However, DA Davidson and Stephens, two other financial services firms, have raised their price targets for WaFd to $39 and $36 respectively, while maintaining their ratings.
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