Aquatic Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 6,513.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,613 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,513 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 815.6% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 824 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. KBC Group NV grew 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 valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WABC has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com cut Westamerica Bancorporation from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price 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. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westamerica Bancorporation

In other Westamerica Bancorporation news, SVP John A. Thorson sold 2,243 shares of Westamerica Bancorporation stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.57, for a total transaction of $108,942.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $562,974.87. The trade was a 16.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 710 shares of Westamerica Bancorporation stock in a transaction that occurred 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.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of WABC stock traded up $0.02 on Wednesday, hitting $48.71. The company had a trading volume of 85,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,021. The stock's 50-day moving average is $48.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.56. Westamerica Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $42.00 and a twelve month high of $59.97. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.37 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $66.47 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. This is a positive change from Westamerica Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

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.