Insider Buying: West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) CEO Purchases 639 Shares of Stock

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) CEO David D. Nelson bought 639 shares of West Bancorporation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $22.27 per share, with a total value of $14,230.53. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 124,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,780,765.82. This trade represents a 0.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

West Bancorporation Stock Down 0.6 %

WTBA stock traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $22.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 23,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,662. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $21.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $24.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.97 million, a P/E ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 0.97.

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 return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 12.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.49%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com raised West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in West Bancorporation by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,072,000 after acquiring an additional 6,809 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $6,775,000 after purchasing an additional 7,320 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 282,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,114,000 after purchasing an additional 51,775 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 134,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,921,000 after purchasing an additional 2,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in West Bancorporation by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 125,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 18,154 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

About West Bancorporation

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.