West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of WTBA traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.10. 36,885 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,438. The business has a fifty day moving average of $22.39 and a 200-day moving average of $20.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $372.01 million, a PE ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.98. West Bancorporation has a 1-year low of $15.80 and a 1-year high of $24.85. 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 earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 9.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. Analysts expect that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other West Bancorporation news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation during the third quarter worth $114,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 230,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,384,000 after purchasing an additional 31,194 shares in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 27.3% in the 3rd 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. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,072,000 after purchasing an additional 6,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 291.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 15,615 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

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.