Douglas Gulling Sells 7,900 Shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Director Douglas Gulling sold 7,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.75, for a total transaction of $171,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 72,338 shares in the company, valued at $1,573,351.50. This trade represents a 9.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of West Bancorporation stock opened at $21.88 on Friday. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $24.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.91.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.08. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 16.04% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The firm had revenue of $25.07 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.20 million. Analysts forecast that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC raised its position in West Bancorporation by 1.3% in the third quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC now owns 35,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 5.1% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,171 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 538 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 37,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 68.9% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in West Bancorporation by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 11,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WTBA shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of West Bancorporation in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler increased their target price on West Bancorporation from $20.50 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc operates as the financial holding company provides community banking and trust services to individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. It offers deposit services, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit.