American Century Companies Inc. Decreases Holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,760,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 75,267 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $92,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 822 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, One Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. 81.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of WABC stock opened at $52.02 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.95 and a 200 day moving average of $52.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1-year low of $45.11 and a 1-year high of $59.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.55.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is 33.85%.

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.