Wedbush affirmed First Foundation’s (FFWM) neutral rating.

Wedbush maintained its neutral rating on the company’s shares First Foundation (NASDAQ:FFWM – Free Report) in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Wedbush currently has a $7.00 price target on the bank’s stock.

In a report dated Friday, April 26, StockNews.com upgraded First Foundation from a sell rating to a hold rating.

See our latest stock report on FFWM

The Foundation’s first shares fell by 0.5%

On Wednesday, FFWM opened at $6.22. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. First Foundation has a 1-year low of $3.69 and a 1-year high of $11.47. The market capitalization of the company’s shares is $351.49 million, the P/E ratio is -1.70 and the beta coefficient is 1.29.

First Foundation ( NASDAQ:FFWM – Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The bank observed EPS of $0.02 for the quarter, $0.01 above analyst consensus of $0.01. First Foundation achieved a positive return on equity of 1.11% and a negative net margin of 32.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was $51.07 million, compared to analyst expectations of $58.93 million. Analysts predict that First Foundation will record 0.16 EPS for the current year.

The First Foundation announces a dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 16. On Monday, May 6, record shareholders received a dividend of $0.01 per share. This translates into an annual dividend of $0.04 and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date for this dividend was Friday, May 3. First Foundation’s Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR) is -1.09%.

First Foundation Confidential Transactions

In related news, CEO Ulrich E. Keller Jr. sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.16, for a total value of $204,000.00. Following the sale, the CEO now owns 1,230,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,041,875.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, available at this link. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the company’s shares.

Institutional investors are wondering about the first assumption

Institutional investors and hedge funds have been buying and selling shares of the company recently. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Foundation during the first quarter worth $3,819,000. rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of First Foundation during the 4th quarter valued at $4,093,000. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Foundation during the 3rd quarter worth $2,305,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Foundation during the first quarter worth $1,731,000. Finally, BHZ Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of First Foundation by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. BHZ Capital Management LP now owns 742,355 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,186,000 after purchasing an additional 187,182 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors hold 73.10% of the company’s shares.

First profile of the founding company

(Get the free report)

First Foundation Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides banking, investment advisory, wealth management and trust services to individuals, companies and other organizations in the United States. The company operates in two segments: Banking and Wealth Management. It offers a wide range of deposit products, including personal and business accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market accounts and time deposits; and lending products consisting of multifamily and single-family residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial term loans and lines of credit, and consumer loans such as personal installment loans and lines of credit and home equity lines of credit.

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