Earnings per share (EPS) is a critical financial metric that investors use to gauge a company's profitability. A year-over-year decrease in EPS, as reported by WaFd, is generally perceived negatively by the market and can lead to a decline in stock price as it may signal a reduction in profitability or growth challenges. The direct mention of WaFd's decreased EPS is highly relevant to the company and is of significant importance to investors, leading to a high confidence in the potential negative impact on the stock price.