West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Separately, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ WTBA opened at $22.36 on Thursday. West Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $15.80 and a 12-month high of $24.85. The company has a market cap of $376.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.97.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 10.56%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that West Bancorporation will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in West Bancorporation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $114,000. City State Bank lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 6.4% during the fourth 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 boosted its holdings in West Bancorporation by 291.2% during the third 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. Fortress Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in West Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $407,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 267.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 18,885 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

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.