West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $22.05 and traded as high as $24.67. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $24.45, with a volume of 66,023 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Bancorporation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Bancorporation has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

West Bancorporation Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $23.91 and its 200 day moving average is $22.09. The firm has a market cap of $405.37 million, a PE ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.84.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $27.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.70 million. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 14.28%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of West Bancorporation during the third quarter worth approximately $1,918,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 15.2% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 402,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,182,000 after purchasing an additional 53,182 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of West Bancorporation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,006,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 875,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,795,000 after purchasing an additional 37,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Bancorporation during the first quarter valued at about $464,000. 44.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc is the bank holding company for West Town Bank and Trust, a full-service community bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgages, business loans and treasury management services. West Bancorporation focuses on delivering personalized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, real estate developers and individual customers within its urban market.

Since launching operations in 2006, West Town Bank and Trust has steadily expanded its presence across the Chicago metropolitan area.