First Foundation Inc. (NYSE:FFWM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of First Foundation Inc. (NYSE:FFWM) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $6.5833.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FFWM shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of First Foundation in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of First Foundation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, DA Davidson cut First Foundation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th.

First Foundation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FFWM traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $5.65. The company had a trading volume of 999,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 691,291. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $6.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. First Foundation has a 1 year low of $4.41 and a 1 year high of $6.72. The company has a market capitalization of $467.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.99 and a beta of 0.92.

First Foundation (NYSE:FFWM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $48.36 million during the quarter. First Foundation had a positive return on equity of 1.06% and a negative net margin of 26.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Foundation

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Foundation by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,811,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,093,000 after buying an additional 285,944 shares during the period. FJ Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Foundation by 964.2% in the 2nd quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 1,478,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339,637 shares in the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP lifted its stake in shares of First Foundation by 51.2% during the 2nd quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 903,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after buying an additional 305,860 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new position in shares of First Foundation in the third quarter worth about $668,000. Finally, EJF Capital LLC grew its holdings in First Foundation by 267.4% during the 3rd quarter. EJF Capital LLC now owns 661,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,683,000 after buying an additional 481,291 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.10% of the company’s stock.

First Foundation Company Profile

First Foundation Inc (NYSE: FFWM) is a financial services company headquartered in Irvine, California. Through its banking and advisory subsidiaries, the company delivers a range of wealth management, strategic consulting and lending solutions to high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs and closely held businesses. First Foundation’s integrated business model combines personalized advisory services with commercial and consumer banking capabilities under one corporate umbrella.

The company’s wealth management arm offers financial planning, investment management, trust and estate planning, tax planning and family office services.