West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday morning.

Separately, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

WTBA stock traded up $0.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $22.10. The company had a trading volume of 41,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,327. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. West Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $24.85. The company has a market cap of $372.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.98.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 10.56%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Bancorporation will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.52%. West Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in West Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $114,000. City State Bank boosted its holdings in West Bancorporation by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 8,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Bancorporation during the fourth quarter valued at $232,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 291.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 15,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortress Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth about $407,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.30% of the company's stock.

About West Bancorporation

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.