Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03, Yahoo Finance reports. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 47.12%. The business had revenue of $79.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.28 million.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Performance

Shares of Westamerica Bancorporation stock opened at $54.73 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 0.56. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1-year low of $41.89 and a 1-year high of $58.49.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is currently 29.73%.

Insider Transactions at Westamerica Bancorporation

In other Westamerica Bancorporation news, SVP George S. Ensinger sold 635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.61, for a total value of $30,232.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $193,915.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO John A. Thorson sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.24, for a total transaction of $51,964.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP George S. Ensinger sold 635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.61, for a total value of $30,232.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $193,915.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WABC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $57.00 price target (down from $58.00) on shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in a report on Monday, April 22nd.

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.