Royce & Associates LP Acquires 11,994 Shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Royce & Associates LP increased its position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 167.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,170 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 11,994 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.07% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $75,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 13.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the first quarter valued at about $113,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 16.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of WABC stock opened at $55.66 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $51.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.43. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $43.82 and a 1 year high of $59.33.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.27. The company had revenue of $74.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.74 million. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 45.73% and a return on equity of 17.67%. Research analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.