Quest Partners LLC Acquires 16,432 Shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 136,933.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,444 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,432 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,904,399 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $92,421,000 after buying an additional 199,721 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 70.2% during the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 252,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,326,000 after buying an additional 104,029 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 129,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,423,000 after buying an additional 45,708 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 861,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,801,000 after buying an additional 41,841 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. now owns 112,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,470,000 after buying an additional 35,912 shares during the last quarter. 81.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $57.00.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Performance

Shares of WABC stock traded up $1.09 on Friday, reaching $57.60. The stock had a trading volume of 86,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,625. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.49 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 12 month low of $43.82 and a 12 month high of $59.33. The firm's 50-day moving average is $51.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.53.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.27. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 45.73% and a return on equity of 17.67%. The company had revenue of $74.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $72.74 million. On average, research analysts expect that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.06%.

Westamerica Bancorporation Company 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.