17,800 Westamerica Bancorporation $WABC Shares Bought by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC – Free Report) by 423.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,800 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $1,283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the second quarter worth $195,706,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the second quarter valued at $12,407,000. Man Group plc acquired a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the second quarter valued at $5,145,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the second quarter valued at $4,360,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,578,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Up 1.5%

WABC stock opened at $61.28 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.18. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.58. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $46.23 and a 12-month high of $63.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 41.63% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The business had revenue of $64.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 EPS.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WABC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings raised Westamerica Bancorporation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Westamerica Bancorporation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation Company Profile

(Free Report)

Westamerica Bancorporation is a bank holding company headquartered in San Rafael, California. Through its principal subsidiary, Westamerica Bank, the company provides community banking services to individuals, businesses and public-sector customers.

Westamerica Bank offers deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, residential and commercial real estate loans, construction financing, cash-management services and electronic banking solutions. Its lending and deposit activities are primarily focused on small and midsized businesses, professionals, nonprofit organizations and retail customers.

The company serves communities throughout Northern and Central California through a network of banking offices and digital channels.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WABC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC – Free Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

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