West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Separately, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday.

West Bancorporation Stock Up 0.2 %

WTBA stock opened at $22.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.94 million, a PE ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.98. West Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $24.85.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.13%.

Insider Activity at West Bancorporation

In other West Bancorporation news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 80,709 shares in the company, valued at $1,905,539.49. This trade represents a 4.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in West Bancorporation during the third quarter worth about $114,000. City State Bank boosted its stake in West Bancorporation by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 8,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 291.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 15,615 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 267.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $493,000 after purchasing an additional 18,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its stake in West Bancorporation by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc operates as the financial holding company provides community banking and trust services to individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. It offers deposit services, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit.