StockNews.com Downgrades West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) to Sell

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Separately, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 0.5 %

WTBA opened at $22.20 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $373.63 million, a PE ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.92. West Bancorporation has a 1-year low of $15.80 and a 1-year high of $24.85.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTBA. State Street Corp grew its stake 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 worth $7,072,000 after acquiring an additional 6,809 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 356,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,775,000 after buying an additional 7,320 shares during the last quarter. 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. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 32,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 6,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in West Bancorporation by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $594,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. 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.