West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock Price Crosses 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 $18.28 and traded as high as $21.21. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $20.68, with a volume of 50,729 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $350.07 million, a PE ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $50.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.80%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 24.8% during the second quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 199,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,570,000 after acquiring an additional 39,675 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 280.0% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 35,680 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in West Bancorporation by 3.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 733,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,083,000 after buying an additional 21,604 shares during the period. Choreo LLC purchased a new stake in West Bancorporation during the second quarter valued at about $267,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of West Bancorporation during the first quarter valued at about $196,000. 44.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About West Bancorporation

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.