West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) to Issue $0.25 Quarterly Dividend

West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 22nd,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the financial services provider on Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.66%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th.

West Bancorporation has increased its dividend payment by an average of 2.1% annually over the last three years. West Bancorporation has a dividend payout ratio of 45.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect West Bancorporation to earn $1.75 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 57.1%.

West Bancorporation Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WTBA traded up $0.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $21.46. 27,458 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 24,657. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.82. The firm has a market cap of $361.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77 and a beta of 0.98. West Bancorporation has a 12-month low of $15.80 and a 12-month high of $24.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95.

West Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WTBA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Bancorporation will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at West Bancorporation

In related news, Director Douglas R. Gulling sold 4,000 shares of West Bancorporation stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.61, for a total transaction of $94,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 80,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,905,539.49. The trade was a 4.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on West Bancorporation from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded West Bancorporation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

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.