Kennedy Capital Management LLC Has $7.48 Million Position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 21.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 142,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 39,564 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.53% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $7,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth about $3,647,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth $3,564,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,467,000 after buying an additional 60,871 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,865,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,505,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $183,898,000 after buying an additional 34,762 shares in the last quarter. 81.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.2 %

WABC traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $45.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 86,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,159. Westamerica Bancorporation has a fifty-two week low of $42.00 and a fifty-two week high of $59.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The business's 50-day moving average is $49.26 and its 200-day moving average is $51.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 8.79 and a beta of 0.63.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.07. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. Westamerica Bancorporation's payout ratio is currently 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.