Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) CFO John A. Thorson Sells 1,100 Shares

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) CFO John A. Thorson sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.24, for a total transaction of $51,964.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WABC traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.86. 139,606 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,079. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $46.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.11. Westamerica Bancorporation has a one year low of $35.52 and a one year high of $57.96.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.02). Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 21.99% and a net margin of 48.35%. The business had revenue of $78.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.34 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 5.3 EPS for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $57.00 price target (down from $58.00) on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in a research report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $51.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th.

Institutional Trading of Westamerica Bancorporation

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 128,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,263,000 after purchasing an additional 37,972 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 248.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $397,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 26,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,511,000 after purchasing an additional 6,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,874,000. 81.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Company Profile

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.