Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 207,300 shares, an increase of 25.2% from the December 31st total of 165,600 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 117,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Westamerica Bancorporation by 2.8% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Trading Down 0.0 %

NASDAQ WABC traded down $0.02 on Friday, hitting $51.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 94,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,298. The firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.58. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52-week low of $43.82 and a 52-week high of $59.97. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.29. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS 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 period last year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is 33.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Westamerica Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

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.