First Foundation Inc. (NYSE:FFWM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of First Foundation Inc. (NYSE:FFWM) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $6.5833.

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

First Foundation Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of First Foundation stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $5.65. 999,056 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 691,291. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.85. First Foundation has a twelve month low of $4.41 and a twelve month high of $6.72. The company has a market cap of $467.86 million, a PE ratio of -2.99 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Foundation

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

About First Foundation

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.