Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 5,368 Shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 144,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,368 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.54% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $7,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WABC. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,008 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 268 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 822 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. 81.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ WABC traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $50.30. The stock had a trading volume of 260,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,481. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $51.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.04. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.67 and a beta of 0.57. Westamerica Bancorporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.11 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.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.85%.

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.