West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Technical breakout: West Bancorporation's shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average of $23.20, trading as high as $24.15 and last at $23.99 on volume of 40,930, up about 1.9%.
• Analyst stance: The consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $24.75; recent moves include upgrades from Wall Street Zen and Weiss and a $25.50 target from Hovde while Zacks cut its rating to Hold.
• Fundamentals & dividend: Q1 EPS beat at $0.61 vs. $0.59 (revenue slightly below estimates); market cap ≈ $409M, P/E 11.65, and a $0.25 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.00, 4.2% yield, ex-dividend May 6).

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $23.20 and traded as high as $24.15. West Bancorporation shares last traded at $23.99, with a volume of 40,930 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of West Bancorporation in a report on Monday, April 6th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $25.50 price target for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Bancorporation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Bancorporation presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $24.75.

West Bancorporation Stock Up 1.9%

The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $408.55 million, a P/E ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 0.75. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $24.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.20.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 17.30% and a return on equity of 14.88%. The business had revenue of $27.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.30 million. Research analysts expect that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

West Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. West Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio is 48.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 875,719 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $17,795,000 after purchasing an additional 37,502 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 404,427 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,974,000 after buying an additional 1,763 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 354,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,864,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,918,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 58,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,192,000 after buying an additional 7,428 shares during the period. 44.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

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.

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