Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Short Interest Update

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 223,300 shares, a growth of 20.7% from the November 15th total of 185,000 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 114,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of WABC opened at $55.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52 week low of $43.82 and a 52 week high of $59.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.30.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.27. The company had revenue of $74.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.74 million. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 17.67% and a net margin of 45.73%. On average, analysts forecast that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westamerica Bancorporation

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 11.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,904,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,421,000 after buying an additional 199,721 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 129,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,423,000 after purchasing an additional 45,708 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 5.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 861,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,801,000 after purchasing an additional 41,841 shares during the period. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. raised its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 46.8% in the second quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. now owns 112,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,470,000 after purchasing an additional 35,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 4.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 735,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,352,000 after purchasing an additional 28,902 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

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.