JPMorgan Chase & Co. Grows Position in West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) by 267.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,885 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in West Bancorporation were worth $493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the third quarter worth approximately $114,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in West Bancorporation by 291.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 15,615 shares in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 27.3% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 32,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 6,893 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in West Bancorporation by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 230,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,384,000 after buying an additional 31,194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in West Bancorporation by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 356,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,775,000 after purchasing an additional 7,320 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at West Bancorporation

In other news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 80,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,905,539.49. The trade was a 4.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTBA opened at $22.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.39 and a 200-day moving average of $20.92. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $24.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.10 million, a P/E ratio of 17.23 and a beta of 0.98. 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 (NASDAQ:WTBA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WTBA shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com raised West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

West Bancorporation Company 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.