Ruffer LLP Purchases Shares of 33,236 Western Alliance Bancorporation $WAL

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP bought a new stake of 33,236 shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) in Q4, valued at about $2.80 million.
• Western Alliance materially beat Q1 expectations with EPS $2.22 vs. Street $1.48 and revenue of $968.4M (up 31% YoY), prompting bullish analyst commentary and a consensus price target near $93.
• The firm pays a quarterly dividend of $0.42 (annualized $1.68, ~2.1% yield), is ~79.15% institutionally owned, and has a market cap of about $8.59 billion with an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy."

Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 33,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,798,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Western Alliance Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Western Alliance Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Western Alliance Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Western Alliance Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Western Alliance Bancorporation during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 79.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WAL opened at $78.20 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.60. The firm has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.37. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $65.82 and a 12-month high of $97.23.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.74. The business had revenue of $968.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $944.18 million. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The business's revenue was up 31.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 9.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Western Alliance Bancorporation's payout ratio is 19.24%.

More Western Alliance Bancorporation News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations: EPS $2.22 vs. Street $1.48 and revenue $968.4M (up 31% YoY), with solid margins and ROE — a primary catalyst for the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” and set a $93 price target (~19% upside vs. current price), which supports further upside from analyst momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Street commentary and coverage (Zacks, MSN, MarketBeat) emphasize the beat on both revenue and EPS, reinforcing short-term bullish sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and details live in the Q1 earnings transcript — investors should read the call for guidance, credit trends and margin outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are dissecting key metrics vs. estimates (loan growth, deposits, NII, provisions); these deeper reads will drive next moves once guidance/forward commentary is digested. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Riverwater Sustainable Value Strategy exited its WAL holding in Q1 — a reminder some funds are trimming exposure, which could pressure flows if others follow. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. iA Financial set a $101.00 price target on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $108.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen cut shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Truist Financial set a $98.00 target price on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $83.00 to $79.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Alliance Bancorporation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.36.

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.

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