West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Separately, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of West Bancorporation from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of West Bancorporation stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $22.10. 36,885 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,438. The company has a market capitalization of $372.01 million, a P/E ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $22.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.92. West Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $24.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 9.46%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.27 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at West Bancorporation

In other West Bancorporation news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 80,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,905,539.49. This trade represents a 4.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WTBA. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Bancorporation during the third quarter worth $114,000. City State Bank increased its position in West Bancorporation by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 8,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in West Bancorporation by 291.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 15,615 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 267.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 18,885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Bancorporation by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.