West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Short Interest Update

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 276,449 shares, a decrease of 21.7% from the February 12th total of 352,853 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 43,135 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 43,135 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.4 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised West Bancorporation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research upgraded West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTBA opened at $23.06 on Friday. West Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $26.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.64 million, a P/E ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.03 and its 200 day moving average is $22.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 14.28%. The business had revenue of $27.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.70 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Bancorporation will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. West Bancorporation’s payout ratio is currently 52.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTBA. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 402,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,182,000 after buying an additional 53,182 shares in the last quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of West Bancorporation in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,918,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Bancorporation in the 2nd quarter worth about $389,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC lifted its position in West Bancorporation by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC now owns 35,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $721,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Bancorporation by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $640,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

West Bancorporation, Inc is the bank holding company for West Town Bank and Trust, a full-service community bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgages, business loans and treasury management services. West Bancorporation focuses on delivering personalized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, real estate developers and individual customers within its urban market.

Since launching operations in 2006, West Town Bank and Trust has steadily expanded its presence across the Chicago metropolitan area.