West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $18.28 and traded as high as $21.21. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $20.68, with a volume of 50,729 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Piper Sandler raised their target price on West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $350.07 million, a PE ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 0.98.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $50.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.00 million. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 11.57%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in West Bancorporation in the 3rd quarter worth about $114,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 87.2% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 3,839 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. purchased a new position in shares of West Bancorporation during the first quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in West Bancorporation during the first quarter valued at approximately $196,000. Finally, Choreo LLC purchased a new stake in West Bancorporation in the second quarter worth approximately $267,000. 44.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.