Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 9,928 Shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 875,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,928 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 3.28% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $45,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WABC. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at $3,647,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,564,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,467,000 after buying an additional 60,871 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,865,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,505,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $183,898,000 after acquiring an additional 34,762 shares during the last quarter. 81.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ WABC opened at $49.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.76 and a 200-day moving average of $51.60. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1-year low of $42.00 and a 1-year high of $59.97.

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. The firm had revenue of $66.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $66.47 million. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. This is an increase from Westamerica Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Westamerica Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WABC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Westamerica Bancorporation from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westamerica Bancorporation

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

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.

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