New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Takes $1.87 Million Position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 35,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,865,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WABC. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 334,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,521,000 after purchasing an additional 22,902 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,173 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $238,000. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WABC opened at $50.35 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $50.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 0.55. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 52 week low of $45.11 and a 52 week high of $59.97.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Westamerica Bancorporation’s payout ratio is currently 33.85%.

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.