West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of West Bancorporation in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of West Bancorporation from $20.50 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:WTBA opened at $25.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. West Bancorporation has a one year low of $17.31 and a one year high of $26.09. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.10. The stock has a market cap of $438.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.86.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 14.59% and a net margin of 16.08%.The firm had revenue of $17.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.70 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Bancorporation will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. West Bancorporation’s payout ratio is presently 52.36%.

Insider Transactions at West Bancorporation

In other news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 7,900 shares of West Bancorporation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.75, for a total value of $171,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 72,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,573,351.50. The trade was a 9.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director George D. Milligan sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.71, for a total transaction of $217,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,154,863.45. This represents a 15.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,726 shares of company stock worth $517,097. Insiders own 4.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of West Bancorporation

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in West Bancorporation by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $769,000 after purchasing an additional 2,675 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in West Bancorporation in the first quarter valued at $464,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 27.9% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 17,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 3,799 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 8.9% during the second quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,674 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 2,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the 2nd quarter worth about $389,000. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

West Bancorporation, Inc is the bank holding company for West Town Bank and Trust, a full-service community bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgages, business loans and treasury management services. West Bancorporation focuses on delivering personalized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, real estate developers and individual customers within its urban market.

Since launching operations in 2006, West Town Bank and Trust has steadily expanded its presence across the Chicago metropolitan area.