West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Downgraded to 'Sell' by StockNews.com

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) experienced a downgrade on Wednesday, as analysts at StockNews.com reduced their rating from "hold" to "sell." This decision reflects the analysts' current outlook on the company's stock performance.

In addition, Piper Sandler also made some adjustments, lowering their target price for West Bancorporation's shares from $25.00 to $23.00, indicating a "neutral" rating in a report released on the same day.

West Bancorporation Stock Performance

On the trading floor, shares of West Bancorporation saw a slight increase of $0.05 on Wednesday, reaching a price of $22.10. A total of 36,885 shares changed hands, surpassing their average trading volume of 29,438 shares. Currently, the company maintains a market capitalization of $372.01 million, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 17.27 and a beta value of 0.98. Over the past few months, the stock has demonstrated a fifty-day moving average of $22.39 and a two-hundred-day moving average of $20.92. Furthermore, over the last year, the stock has fluctuated between a low of $15.80 and a high of $24.85. The firm also shows a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

West Bancorporation last reported its earnings results on January 23rd, where it posted earnings of $0.42 per share for the quarter, which beat analysts' consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. The company achieved a net margin of 11.17% with a return on equity of 9.46%. In comparison, the same quarter from the previous year yielded earnings of $0.27 per share. Analysts are forecasting that West Bancorporation will achieve an earnings per share (EPS) of 1.40 for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions

In related news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of West Bancorporation on November 8th at an average price of $23.61, totaling a sale value of $94,440. Following this transaction, Gulling retains ownership of 80,709 shares, which are currently valued at approximately $1,905,539.49. This sale indicates a decrease of 4.72% in their ownership stake. The details of this transaction were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available for public viewing.

Institutional Investors' Activity

Several institutional investors have recently adjusted their holdings in West Bancorporation. Notably, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake during the third quarter, valued at $114,000. City State Bank increased its holdings by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, now owning 8,354 shares worth $181,000 after an additional purchase of 499 shares. Barclays PLC significantly raised its stake by 291.2%, acquiring an additional 15,615 shares for a total of 20,977 shares valued at $398,000. Moreover, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its ownership by 267.5%, owning 25,946 shares worth $493,000 after buying an extra 18,885 shares. Similarly, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its shares by 2.6%, totaling 28,176 shares valued at approximately $594,000. Altogether, institutional investors hold 44.30% of West Bancorporation's stock.

Company Overview

West Bancorporation operates as a financial holding company that provides this community banking and trust services primarily to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses across the United States. Their offerings include various deposit services, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and time certificates of deposit.

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