Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Stock Position Boosted by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 37,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $1,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WABC. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 52,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,754,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 38,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 14,977 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 19,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 2,650 shares in the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at $233,000. Finally, One Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the fourth quarter valued at about $210,000. 81.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

NASDAQ:WABC opened at $50.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $50.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.02. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52-week low of $45.11 and a 52-week high of $59.97. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 0.55.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last announced 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.85%.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

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.