Western Alliance Bancorporation $WAL Stock Position Raised by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) by 11.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 315,052 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,396 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation were worth $27,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,674,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $318,655,000 after purchasing an additional 58,535 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 14.5% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 215,419 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,681,000 after buying an additional 27,329 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 3.5% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,394,722 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $207,670,000 after buying an additional 81,386 shares during the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 42.4% during the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 36,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after buying an additional 10,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 568.0% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,505,000 after buying an additional 14,757 shares in the last quarter. 79.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Down 1.6%

WAL stock opened at $72.18 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $88.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.13. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a 52-week low of $57.05 and a 52-week high of $97.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.19. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a return on equity of 13.33% and a net margin of 18.04%.The business had revenue of $890.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $912.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s payout ratio is currently 19.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WAL shares. iA Financial set a $101.00 price target on Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Western Alliance Bancorporation from $105.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Western Alliance Bancorporation from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Alliance Bancorporation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.40.

Key Headlines Impacting Western Alliance Bancorporation

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Alliance Bancorporation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded WAL from “underweight” to “equal weight,” which reduces short-term selling pressure compared with a downgrade; the firm set a $79 target (lower than before). Wells Fargo upgrade article
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its price target from $107 to $103 but kept a “buy” rating, signaling continued fundamental confidence despite reduced upside. Citigroup price target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson lowered its target from $105 to $93 and maintained a “buy” rating — another sign analysts still see upside but are revising expectations downward. DA Davidson price target cut
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded WAL from “buy” to “hold” and set an $83 target, removing a prior bullish endorsement and likely contributing to selling. TD Cowen downgrade article
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies published a public letter disputing Western Alliance’s statements and outlining facts about loans to First Brands, escalating a legal/credit dispute that increases uncertainty around asset quality and reputational risk. This release is probably the largest single negative catalyst for investor concern today. Jefferies disclosure

About Western Alliance Bancorporation

Western Alliance Bancorporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Through its principal subsidiary, Western Alliance Bank, the company provides a range of banking services to commercial clients, entrepreneurs and real estate developers. As one of the largest regional banks in the western United States, it focuses on relationship-driven banking solutions tailored to niche industries and growing businesses.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products, treasury management and a variety of lending services.