Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) SVP Sells 705 Shares

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 705 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.73, for a total value of $37,174.65. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 244 shares in the company, valued at $12,866.12. The trade was a 74.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Performance

WABC stock opened at $51.76 on Friday. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $43.82 and a 12-month high of $59.97. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.58.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westamerica Bancorporation

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WABC. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 2.8% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.7% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. 81.89% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation operates as a bank holding company for the Westamerica Bank that provides various banking products and services to individual and commercial customers. The company accepts various deposit products, including retail savings and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.