Piper Sandler Issues Pessimistic Forecast for West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) Stock Price

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $25.00 to $23.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price points to a potential upside of 5.09% from the company’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

WTBA stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Monday, reaching $21.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,218. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $368.36 million, a P/E ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average is $22.45 and its 200-day moving average is $20.87.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of West Bancorporation stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total value of $94,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in West Bancorporation in the third quarter worth about $114,000. City State Bank lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 6.4% in the fourth 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 lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 291.2% in the third 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. lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 267.5% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in West Bancorporation by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.30% of the company’s stock.

West Bancorporation Company Profile

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.