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

Key Points

• West Bancorporation shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $28.75 and last changing hands at $28.54, compared with a 200-day average of $25.31.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: one analyst rates the stock Buy and three rate it Hold, producing an average Hold rating and a $29.00 price target.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.64, slightly exceeding expectations, and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.26, equivalent to a 3.6% annualized yield.

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $25.31 and traded as high as $28.75. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $28.54, with a volume of 124,918 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WTBA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered West Bancorporation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on West Bancorporation from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of West Bancorporation in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Hovde Group upped their target price on West Bancorporation from $25.50 to $28.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $29.00.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.31. The stock has a market cap of $486.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 0.71.

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

West Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This is a boost from West Bancorporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 5th. West Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC raised its stake in West Bancorporation by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC now owns 35,918 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $797,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in West Bancorporation by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,665 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Bancorporation by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,851 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $640,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 15,666 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 1.8% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 37,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc is the bank holding company for West Town Bank and Trust, a full-service community bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgages, business loans and treasury management services. West Bancorporation focuses on delivering personalized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, real estate developers and individual customers within its urban market.

Since launching operations in 2006, West Town Bank and Trust has steadily expanded its presence across the Chicago metropolitan area.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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