Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Free Report) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 335,496 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 44,106 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.30% of Western Alliance Bancorporation worth $29,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 0.6% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 29,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,911,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 507 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 26.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,165 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 136.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 431 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,598 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. 79.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada set a $99.00 price target on Western Alliance Bancorporation and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Western Alliance Bancorporation from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $107.00 to $105.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.73.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE WAL traded down $1.14 during trading on Monday, hitting $89.24. The stock had a trading volume of 699,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,310,536. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $85.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.68. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a 12 month low of $47.60 and a 12 month high of $96.45. The company has a market capitalization of $9.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.44.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.10). Western Alliance Bancorporation had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 14.66%. The firm had revenue of $833.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $811.40 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 7.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This is an increase from Western Alliance Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Western Alliance Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is 23.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert P. Latta sold 2,996 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $247,919.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,056 shares in the company, valued at $335,634. This trade represents a 42.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Barbara Kennedy sold 11,083 shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.59, for a total transaction of $904,261.97. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,977 shares in the company, valued at $650,843.43. This trade represents a 58.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.75% of the company's stock.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Profile

Western Alliance Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for Western Alliance Bank that provides various banking products and related services primarily in Arizona, California, and Nevada. It operates through Commercial and Consumer Related segments. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as fixed-rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposit accounts; demand deposits; and treasury management and residential mortgage products and services.