Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Shares Acquired by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 43.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,286 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.10% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $1,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. One Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 4th quarter worth $210,000. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter valued at $212,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of WABC opened at $51.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27. Westamerica Bancorporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.11 and a fifty-two week high of $59.97. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.55.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.85%.

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.