West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Short Interest Update

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 276,449 shares, a drop of 21.7% from the February 12th total of 352,853 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,135 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,135 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.4 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTBA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Bancorporation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Bancorporation currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTBA. Rhino Investment Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the third quarter valued at about $1,918,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 15.2% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 402,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,182,000 after purchasing an additional 53,182 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in West Bancorporation during the second quarter worth about $1,006,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in West Bancorporation by 4.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 875,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,795,000 after purchasing an additional 37,502 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in West Bancorporation in the first quarter valued at about $464,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Stock Down 1.2%

WTBA opened at $23.06 on Monday. West Bancorporation has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $26.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $390.64 million, a PE ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.84.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $27.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.70 million. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 14.28% and a net margin of 16.08%. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.36%.

About West Bancorporation

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.