Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Shares Purchased by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 25,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,176 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $1,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, One Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth about $210,000. 81.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Down 1.1 %

WABC opened at $50.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $45.11 and a 1 year high of $59.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.03.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 44.55% and a return on equity of 16.15%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.85%.

Westamerica Bancorporation 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.