WINTON GROUP Ltd Increases Holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation $WABC

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 92.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 46,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,224 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation were worth $2,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WABC. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $773,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Westamerica Bancorporation during the 1st quarter valued at about $99,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 64,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,243,000 after purchasing an additional 5,293 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation by 815.8% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 67,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,416,000 after purchasing an additional 60,102 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westamerica Bancorporation

In other Westamerica Bancorporation news, SVP Robert James Baker, Jr. sold 759 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.83, for a total transaction of $40,856.97. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Stock Performance

WABC stock opened at $56.58 on Monday. Westamerica Bancorporation has a fifty-two week low of $44.93 and a fifty-two week high of $57.00. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $54.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 0.56.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. Westamerica Bancorporation had a return on equity of 12.26% and a net margin of 42.08%.The firm had revenue of $62.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.70 million.

Westamerica Bancorporation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a positive change from Westamerica Bancorporation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Westamerica Bancorporation from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Westamerica Bancorporation from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Westamerica Bancorporation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.00.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ: WABC) is a California-based bank holding company that provides a comprehensive suite of commercial banking, trust and wealth management services. Through its primary subsidiary, Westamerica Bank, the company offers deposit products, lending solutions and treasury management to a diverse clientele that includes small and mid-sized businesses, professionals, non-profit organizations and individuals.

The company’s lending portfolio encompasses commercial real estate financing, agricultural loans, equipment financing and lines of credit designed to support working capital needs.