Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Posted by George Bondi on Jun 18th, 2026

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $59.25 and last traded at $58.5560, with a volume of 58048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $57.97.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WABC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on WABC

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.94. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 0.56.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 42.08% and a return on equity of 12.26%. The business had revenue of $62.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.70 million.

Westamerica Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a positive change from Westamerica Bancorporation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 4th. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is 42.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westamerica Bancorporation

In related news, SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 759 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.83, for a total transaction of $40,856.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westamerica Bancorporation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 5.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 944,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,265,000 after acquiring an additional 47,127 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 279.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 457,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,868,000 after acquiring an additional 336,714 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 101.3% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 399,197 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,956,000 after acquiring an additional 200,884 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 35.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 381,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,263,000 after acquiring an additional 100,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 298,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,276,000 after acquiring an additional 14,121 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ: WABC) is a California-based bank holding company that provides a comprehensive suite of commercial banking, trust and wealth management services. Through its primary subsidiary, Westamerica Bank, the company offers deposit products, lending solutions and treasury management to a diverse clientele that includes small and mid-sized businesses, professionals, non-profit organizations and individuals.

The company’s lending portfolio encompasses commercial real estate financing, agricultural loans, equipment financing and lines of credit designed to support working capital needs.