Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,766 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at $245,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 68.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 81,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,026,000 after purchasing an additional 32,981 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 735,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,352,000 after purchasing an additional 28,902 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 103.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 26,871 shares during the last quarter. 81.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:WABC opened at $51.45 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $43.82 and a 1 year high of $59.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $53.08 and a 200-day moving average of $52.16.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 44.55% and a return on equity of 16.15%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is 33.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About Westamerica Bancorporation

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.