21,994 Shares in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Bought by Tudor Investment Corp ET AL

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 21,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,154,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned 0.08% of Westamerica Bancorporation as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 815.6% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 824 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ WABC traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $49.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 119,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,339. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.56 and a 200 day moving average of $51.51. Westamerica Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $42.00 and a twelve month high of $59.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.07. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 44.55% and a return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $66.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $66.47 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. This is an increase from Westamerica Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westamerica Bancorporation

In other news, SVP John A. Thorson sold 2,243 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.57, for a total transaction of $108,942.51. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $562,974.87. This represents a 16.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.16, for a total transaction of $34,193.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation operates as a bank holding company for the Westamerica Bank that provides various banking products and services to individual and commercial customers. The company accepts various deposit products, including retail savings and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.