West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday.

West Bancorporation Stock Up 6.2 %

Shares of WTBA stock traded up $1.30 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $22.12. 58,084 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,388. 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 company has a market cap of $371.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.76 and a beta of 0.98. West Bancorporation has a fifty-two week low of $15.80 and a fifty-two week high of $22.39. The stock's 50 day moving average is $19.35 and its 200-day moving average is $18.33.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 11.17%. The company had revenue of $50.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. Analysts predict that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of West Bancorporation

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 87.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,240 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 3,839 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 733,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,083,000 after acquiring an additional 21,604 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the 1st quarter valued at $196,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 41,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the first quarter worth $182,000. 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.

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