David D. Nelson Acquires 639 Shares of West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) CEO David D. Nelson purchased 639 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $22.27 per share, for a total transaction of $14,230.53. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,780,765.82. This trade represents a 0.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTBA opened at $22.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.53 million, a PE ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 0.97. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $15.80 and a 12-month high of $24.85.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 12.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WTBA shares. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in West Bancorporation by 291.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 15,615 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 356,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,775,000 after acquiring an additional 7,320 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in West Bancorporation by 267.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 18,885 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,072,000 after purchasing an additional 6,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Bancorporation by 15.6% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 230,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,384,000 after purchasing an additional 31,194 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

West Bancorporation, Inc operates as the financial holding company provides community banking and trust services to individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. It offers deposit services, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit.