Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 237 Shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL)

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 237 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation were worth $689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAL. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 70.1% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 115.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 338.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.15% of the company’s stock.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Performance

NYSE WAL opened at $77.31 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $85.53 and a 200-day moving average of $86.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $8.54 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.43. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a 52-week low of $53.75 and a 52-week high of $98.10.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.03. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 13.14%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WAL. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $110.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.07.

About Western Alliance Bancorporation

Western Alliance Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for Western Alliance Bank that provides various banking products and related services primarily in Arizona, California, and Nevada. It operates through Commercial and Consumer Related segments. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as fixed-rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposit accounts; demand deposits; and treasury management and residential mortgage products and services.