West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $20.18 and traded as high as $22.28. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $22.01, with a volume of 9,268 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WTBA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $370.49 million, a PE ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.18.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. The firm had revenue of $50.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 6th. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Bancorporation

In related news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 80,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,905,539.49. This trade represents a 4.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of West Bancorporation

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,072,000 after buying an additional 6,809 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in West Bancorporation by 2.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 356,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,775,000 after purchasing an additional 7,320 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 15.6% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 230,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,384,000 after buying an additional 31,194 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 216,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,880,000 after buying an additional 8,200 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 120,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,153,000 after acquiring an additional 3,945 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.