Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) Shares Purchased by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) by 331.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,154 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation were worth $4,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 70.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 115.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. 79.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Western Alliance Bancorporation from $102.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Western Alliance Bancorporation in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.07.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Performance

Shares of WAL stock opened at $76.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $84.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.01. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a one year low of $53.75 and a one year high of $98.10.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.03. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 15.49%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.41%.

About Western Alliance Bancorporation

Western Alliance Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for Western Alliance Bank that provides various banking products and related services primarily in Arizona, California, and Nevada. It operates through Commercial and Consumer Related segments. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as fixed-rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposit accounts; demand deposits; and treasury management and residential mortgage products and services.