George Milligan Sells 10,000 Shares of West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Director George Milligan sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.71, for a total transaction of $217,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,863.45. This trade represents a 15.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTBA traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.30. The stock had a trading volume of 37,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,716. West Bancorporation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $24.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $25.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.20 million. West Bancorporation had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 16.04%. On average, analysts expect that West Bancorporation, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. West Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTBA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of West Bancorporation in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of West Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of West Bancorporation from $20.50 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in West Bancorporation by 4,593.5% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 157.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 662.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 3,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 9,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $190,000 after buying an additional 1,585 shares in the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc operates as the financial holding company provides community banking and trust services to individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. It offers deposit services, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit.