Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. Sells 248 Shares

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total value of $12,836.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,270 shares in the company, valued at $65,735.20. The trade was a 16.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

NASDAQ WABC opened at $51.76 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.22. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52 week low of $43.82 and a 52 week high of $59.97. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westamerica Bancorporation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 139,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,314,000 after buying an additional 4,115 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 144,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,600,000 after acquiring an additional 5,368 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 182.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 20,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position 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. 81.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.