<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Heritage Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $24.68 and traded as high as $25.73. Heritage Financial shares last traded at $24.89, with a volume of 230,438 shares traded.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Heritage Financial</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>Several research analysts recently commented on HFWA shares. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Heritage Financial from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Heritage Financial from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Heritage Financial from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Heritage Financial from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;sell&#34; rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Heritage Financial from a &#34;hold (c)&#34; rating to a &#34;buy (b-)&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned  a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $31.25.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Heritage Financial</b></p><h2>Heritage Financial Stock Performance</h2><p>The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.23 and a 200 day moving average of $24.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.70 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. </p><p>Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. Heritage Financial had a return on equity of 8.61% and a net margin of 20.10%.The company had revenue of $66.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.95 million.  Equities analysts predict that  Heritage Financial Corporation will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Heritage Financial Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 28th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Heritage Financial's dividend payout ratio  is currently 48.98%. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In other Heritage Financial news, EVP Kelli Ann Wilson sold 1,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.48, for a total value of $50,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,778 shares in the company, valued at $100,041.44. The trade was a 33.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tony Chalfant sold 4,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $129,070.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $549,405.50. This trade represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,368 shares of company stock worth $226,740. Insiders own  1.80% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Trading of Heritage Financial</h2><p>Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of  Heritage Financial by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 264,519 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,256,000 after buying an additional 7,292 shares during the period.  EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in  Heritage Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $385,000.  Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in  Heritage Financial by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 152,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,607,000 after acquiring an additional 14,780 shares during the last quarter.  Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in  Heritage Financial during the fourth quarter worth $325,000.  Finally, Odyssean LLC purchased a new stake in  Heritage Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $572,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  78.30% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Heritage Financial</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Heritage Financial Corporation <span>NASDAQ: HFWA<span></span></span> is a bank holding company headquartered in Spokane, Washington. Through its primary subsidiary, Heritage Bank, the company provides a comprehensive range of banking and financial services to both individual and commercial clients. Heritage Bank's offerings encompass deposit products, lending solutions, treasury and cash management services, mortgage banking, and wealth management, positioning the organization as a full-service community bank.  </p><p>The company's lending portfolio includes commercial real estate loans, agricultural loans, small business administration (SBA) loans, construction and development financing, and a variety of consumer mortgage products.</p><h2>Recommended Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Heritage Financial</li><li>A personal warning from Martin Weiss (Please read)</li><li>SpaceX IPO Confirmed: Claim Your Stake Today</li><li>This coin has everything going for it</li><li>Only 500 people today…</li><li>The gold chart Wall Street is terrified of…</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Heritage Financial Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Heritage Financial, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Heritage Financial wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Heritage Financial currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

HFWA

<p>Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) stock price surpassed its 200-day moving average of $24.68, reaching a high of $25.73 during trading. Analysts have set new price targets, with DA Davidson raising its target from $29.00 to $32.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.70, and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Recent insider trading saw executives selling shares, while institutional investors have adjusted their positions in the company.</p>

Heritage Financial (NASDAQ:HFWA) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened