West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) Announces Dividend Increase – $0.26 Per Share

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be paid a dividend of 0.26 per share by the financial services provider on Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 5th. This is a 4.0% increase from West Bancorporation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25.

West Bancorporation has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. West Bancorporation has a dividend payout ratio of 44.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect West Bancorporation to earn $2.85 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 35.1%.

West Bancorporation Price Performance

Shares of WTBA traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $27.19. The stock had a trading volume of 66,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,462. The company has a market capitalization of $463.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average is $25.22 and its 200 day moving average is $24.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. West Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $27.87.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. West Bancorporation had a net margin of 17.30% and a return on equity of 14.88%. The company had revenue of $28.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Bancorporation will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Bancorporation

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its holdings in West Bancorporation by 42.0% in the 1st quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 14,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 4,345 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of West Bancorporation by 37.6% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Bancorporation during the fourth quarter valued at about $126,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of West Bancorporation by 86.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,399 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in West Bancorporation by 4,593.5% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. 44.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About West Bancorporation

West Bancorporation, Inc is the bank holding company for West Town Bank and Trust, a full-service community bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgages, business loans and treasury management services. West Bancorporation focuses on delivering personalized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, real estate developers and individual customers within its urban market.

Since launching operations in 2006, West Town Bank and Trust has steadily expanded its presence across the Chicago metropolitan area.