Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $43.57 and last traded at $46.49, with a volume of 290671 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.72.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Up 2.1 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $49.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 44.55%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation's payout ratio is 33.85%.

Institutional Trading of Westamerica Bancorporation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 valued at $183,898,000 after acquiring an additional 34,762 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 875,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,919,000 after purchasing an additional 9,928 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 753,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,515,000 after purchasing an additional 17,649 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 393,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,669,000 after purchasing an additional 59,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 334,637 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $17,555,000 after buying an additional 52,399 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.89% of the company's stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Company Profile

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.