First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ:FFNW) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average of $16.91

First Financial Northwest, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFNW) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $16.91 and traded as high as $20.38. First Financial Northwest shares last traded at $20.31, with a volume of 36,839 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FFNW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of First Financial Northwest from $15.00 to $23.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com started coverage on First Financial Northwest in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on First Financial Northwest from $14.00 to $23.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded First Financial Northwest from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $22.00 in a report on Friday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

First Financial Northwest Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.07 million, a PE ratio of 61.82 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

First Financial Northwest Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. First Financial Northwest’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 157.58%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Northwest

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial Northwest by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 94,407 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in First Financial Northwest by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 19,280 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial Northwest in the fourth quarter worth about $117,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial Northwest in the third quarter worth about $324,000. Finally, Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of First Financial Northwest by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC now owns 503,567 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,788,000 after buying an additional 30,468 shares in the last quarter. 55.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About First Financial Northwest

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.