Short Interest in West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Declines By 21.7%

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 276,449 shares, a drop of 21.7% from the February 12th total of 352,853 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 43,135 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.4 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 43,135 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WTBA. Rhino Investment Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of West Bancorporation in the third quarter worth approximately $1,918,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 15.2% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 402,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,182,000 after buying an additional 53,182 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in West Bancorporation during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,006,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in West Bancorporation by 4.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 875,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,795,000 after acquiring an additional 37,502 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in West Bancorporation in the first quarter worth approximately $464,000. Institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WTBA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised West Bancorporation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

WTBA stock opened at $23.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. West Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $26.60. The company has a market cap of $390.64 million, a P/E ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $24.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.25.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.04. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 14.28% and a net margin of 16.08%.The company had revenue of $27.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.70 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Bancorporation will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.36%.

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.