HFWA Should I Buy
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HFWA is a good buy right now for a beginner-focused, long-term investor with $50,000-$100,000 available. The stock shows improving fundamentals, a favorable analyst stance, and supportive technical structure, while the current pre-market price is still near key support and below the nearest resistance. I would favor buying now rather than waiting for a better entry.
HFWA is in a constructive technical setup. The moving averages are bullish with SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200, which supports an uptrend. RSI_6 at 56.0 is neutral-to-mildly positive, showing room for further upside without being overbought. MACD histogram is slightly negative at -0.0141 but is contracting, which suggests downside momentum is fading. Price at 27.52 is just above pivot 27.469 and below R1 28.412, so the stock is trading in a favorable entry zone. The similar-candlestick trend data also suggests positive near-term follow-through.
["Q1 revenue increased 37.22% YoY", "Q1 net income increased 36.20% YoY", "Q1 EPS increased 20.00% YoY", "Net interest margin improved from 3.72% to 3.96%", "Merger with Olympic Bancorp completed, expanding growth potential in the Puget Sound market", "Loan balances rose by $939 million and deposits increased by $1.33 billion", "Analysts remain Overweight despite small target reductions"]
["Piper Sandler lowered the price target from $35 to $34, then to $32", "Management expects noninterest expenses to rise to about $64 million-$65 million in Q2 and Q3 due to merger-related costs", "Insiders have been selling, with selling increasing 250.68% over the last month", "Hedge funds are neutral with no significant accumulation trend", "MACD is still slightly negative, so momentum is not fully confirmed", "Options positioning shows elevated put open interest"]
HFWA's latest quarter was Q1 2026. The quarter was strong overall: revenue rose to 70.7 million, up 37.22% YoY; net income reached 18.9 million, up 36.20% YoY; and EPS increased to 0.48, up 20.00% YoY. The improvement in growth and profitability was reinforced by a higher net interest margin, which indicates better core banking economics. This is a healthy earnings trend for a long-term investor.
Wall Street remains constructive overall. Piper Sandler keeps an Overweight rating, even though it lowered the price target from $35 to $34 and then to $32. The sequence of target cuts shows some moderation in expectations, but the continued Overweight rating indicates analysts still see upside. Pros: improving core profitability, solid deposit franchise, and growth from the Olympic Bancorp merger. Cons: softer loan growth commentary, rising expenses from merger integration, and slightly reduced price target expectations. No recent congress trading data is available. No recent politician or influential figure transactions were provided.
