Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 42.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,546 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,647,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation during the fourth quarter valued at $3,564,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,467,000 after purchasing an additional 60,871 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth $1,865,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,505,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $183,898,000 after buying an additional 34,762 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.8 %

WABC stock traded up $0.38 during trading on Friday, hitting $45.97. The company had a trading volume of 176,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,194. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52-week low of $42.00 and a 52-week high of $59.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $66.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $66.47 million. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.27%.

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.