West Bancorporation (WTBA) Short Interest Ratio & Short Volume

Short interest is the volume of West Bancorporation shares that have been sold short but have not yet been closed out or covered. As of March 15th, traders have sold 291,600 shares of WTBA short. 1.98% of West Bancorporation's shares are currently sold short. Learn More on West Bancorporation's current short interest.

The short interest ratio, also known as the "days to cover ratio", is calculated by dividing the number of shares of a stock sold short divided by its average trading volume. A short interest ratio ranging between 1 and 4 generally indicates strong positive sentiment about a stock and a lack of short sellers. A short interest ratio of 10 or greater indicates strong pessimism about a stock. WTBA shares currently have a short interest ratio of 10.0. Learn More on West Bancorporation's short interest ratio.

As of the most recent reporting period, the following institutional investors, funds, and major shareholders have reported short positions of West Bancorporation: Citadel Advisors LLC, and Concourse Financial Group Securities Inc.. These positions are disclosed in Form 13F filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Companies that have a short interest as a percentage of float below 10% indicates positive investor sentiment and few short sellers. Stocks with a short interest percentage above 10% is considered high, suggesting some investors are pessimistic about the stock. Companies with a short interest percentage of 20% or more indicates widespread negative sentiment. 1.98% of West Bancorporation's floating shares are currently sold short.

West Bancorporation saw a increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totaling 291,600 shares, an increase of 1.0% from the previous total of 288,600 shares. Changes in short volume can be used to identify positive and negative investor sentiment. Investors that short sell a stock are betting that its price will decline in the future. An increase in short sale volume suggests bearish (negative) sentiment among investors. A decrease on short sale volume suggests bullish (positive) sentiment.

West Bancorporation currently has issued a total of 16,833,000 shares. Some of West Bancorporation's outstanding shares are available for trading, while others are subject to various restrictions. The public float, also referred to as floating shares or "the float", are shares that publicly owned, unrestricted and available to trade on the open market. West Bancorporation currently has a public float of 14,710,000 shares.

1.98% of West Bancorporation's shares are currently sold short. Here is how the short interest of companies in the industry of "regional banks" compare to West Bancorporation: TriCo Bancshares (1.02%), Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (2.06%), Hope Bancorp, Inc. (2.31%), Republic Bancorp, Inc. (0.64%), First Busey Co. (2.61%), Preferred Bank (7.58%), Peoples Bancorp Inc. (1.77%), Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. (0.51%), Southside Bancshares, Inc. (4.17%), Univest Financial Co. (1.04%),

As of the most recent reporting period, the following stocks had the largest short interest positions: Invesco QQQ ($26.28 billion), iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF ($9.53 billion), MicroStrategy Incorporated ($8.50 billion), Apollo Global Management, Inc. ($4.86 billion), Super Micro Computer, Inc. ($4.85 billion), Charter Communications, Inc. ($4.28 billion), Capital One Financial Co. ($4.08 billion), AppLovin Co. ($3.82 billion), Canadian Natural Resources Limited ($3.78 billion), and Schlumberger Limited ($2.87 billion). View all of the most shorted stocks.

Short selling WTBA is an investing strategy that aims to generate trading profit from West Bancorporation as its price is falling. WTBA shares are trading down $0.19 today. To short a stock, an investor borrows shares, sells them and buys the shares back on the public market later to return it to the lender. Short sellers are betting that a stock will decline in price. If the stock does drop after selling, the short seller buys it back at a lower price and returns it to the lender. The difference between the sell price and the buy price is the trader's profit.

A short squeeze for West Bancorporation occurs when it has a large amount of short interest and its stock increases in price. This forces short sellers to cover their short interest positions by buying actual shares of WTBA, which in turn drives the price of the stock up even further.

Short interest is typically published by a stock exchange once per month. However, NASDAQ publishes a report for U.S. stocks, including WTBA, twice per month. The most recent reporting period available is March, 15 2025.