West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• West Bancorporation shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading near $29.19 versus the $25.96 average. The stock’s average analyst rating is “Hold,” with a consensus price target of $29.00.
• The company slightly exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.64 in EPS and $28.22 million in revenue, while net margin was 18.75% and return on equity was 15.48%.
• West Bancorporation increased its quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, implying a 3.6% annualized yield. Institutional investors own 44.3% of the stock, with several funds recently increasing their positions.

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $25.96 and traded as high as $29.39. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $29.19, with a volume of 38,854 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WTBA. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of West Bancorporation from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of West Bancorporation from $25.50 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen cut West Bancorporation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of West Bancorporation in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Bancorporation presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $29.00.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $497.40 million, a PE ratio of 13.09 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.96.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The firm had revenue of $28.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 5th. This is a positive change from West Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. West Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.64%.

Institutional Trading of West Bancorporation

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTBA. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 332.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 36,548 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $970,000 after buying an additional 28,087 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 28.8% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 34,480 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $820,000 after buying an additional 7,702 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 42.0% during the first quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 14,698 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 4,345 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 404,427 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,974,000 after buying an additional 1,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 4.2% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,186 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Its principal subsidiary, West Bank, is a community bank that provides financial services to businesses, individuals and institutions.

West Bank offers commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate loans, agricultural financing, residential mortgage loans and consumer credit. Its deposit products include checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, while additional services include treasury management, online and mobile banking, cash management, trust services and investment management.

The company primarily serves customers in Iowa, including the Des Moines metropolitan area and other communities in central and eastern Iowa, as well as selected markets in neighboring states.

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