Fmr LLC Sells 87,794 Shares of West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA)

Fmr LLC reduced its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,339,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 87,794 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned approximately 0.08% of West Bancorporation worth $25,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 280.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 35,680 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 199,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,570,000 after buying an additional 39,675 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in West Bancorporation by 3.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 120,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,153,000 after purchasing an additional 3,945 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in West Bancorporation by 3.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 216,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,880,000 after purchasing an additional 8,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in West Bancorporation by 3.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 733,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,083,000 after purchasing an additional 21,604 shares during the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Bancorporation news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 80,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,905,539.49. This represents a 4.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

West Bancorporation stock opened at $23.32 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $392.48 million, a PE ratio of 18.22 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $24.85.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $50.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.00 million. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. Analysts expect that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 6th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.29%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

West Bancorporation Profile

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.