Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Invests $245,000 in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 5.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 861,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,801,000 after purchasing an additional 41,841 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 2nd quarter valued at about $332,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 134,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,519,000 after acquiring an additional 12,888 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 6.1% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 58,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,848,000 after purchasing an additional 3,379 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the second quarter worth about $541,000. 81.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:WABC opened at $52.30 on Wednesday. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $43.82 and a 12-month high of $59.97. The firm has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $54.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.24.

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, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. 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.