Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Short Interest Update

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 223,300 shares, a growth of 20.7% from the November 15th total of 185,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 114,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of WABC stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 72,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,003. 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 fifty-two week low of $43.82 and a fifty-two week high of $59.97. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $54.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.30.

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

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is 32.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westamerica Bancorporation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 2.8% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 13,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.7% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,008 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.5% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 64,365 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,124,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.8% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 17,948 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

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.