First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) from a strong-buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on MYFW. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Western Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Western Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.33.

First Western Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MYFW opened at $25.72 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $249.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05 and a beta of 0.76. First Western Financial has a fifty-two week low of $17.52 and a fifty-two week high of $28.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.98.

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.13). First Western Financial had a return on equity of 5.09% and a net margin of 7.08%.The company had revenue of $26.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.50 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Western Financial will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Western Financial

In related news, CEO Scott C. Wylie sold 16,171 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.72, for a total value of $415,918.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 756,482 shares in the company, valued at $19,456,717.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David R. Duncan sold 8,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.56, for a total transaction of $220,480.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,964 shares of company stock worth $938,485. 17.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Western Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in First Western Financial by 1,470.6% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of First Western Financial by 37.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in First Western Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in First Western Financial by 26.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in First Western Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

First Western Financial Company Profile

First Western Financial, Inc (NASDAQ: MYFW) is a Denver-based bank holding company that, through its principal subsidiary First Western Trust, delivers a suite of personalized financial services. The company’s core activities center on wealth management and trust administration for high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions. In addition, First Western Financial offers a comprehensive range of deposit products—such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit—designed to meet the liquidity and income needs of its clients.

Complementing its deposit offerings, First Western Financial provides fiduciary and investment management services, including estate planning, charitable giving strategies and multi-generational wealth transfer.