Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Holdings in Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 319 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.05% of Westamerica Bancorporation worth $750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WABC. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Westamerica Bancorporation by 58.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 34,428 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,701,000 after buying an additional 12,702 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Westamerica Bancorporation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $848,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 61,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 11,674 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 735,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,352,000 after acquiring an additional 28,902 shares during the period. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Westamerica Bancorporation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $245,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.89% of the company’s stock.

Westamerica Bancorporation Price Performance

Westamerica Bancorporation stock opened at $51.74 on Tuesday. Westamerica Bancorporation has a 1 year low of $45.11 and a 1 year high of $59.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $51.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.04. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.57.

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Westamerica Bancorporation had a net margin of 44.55% and a return on equity of 16.15%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Westamerica Bancorporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Westamerica Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Westamerica Bancorporation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.85%.

About Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation operates as a bank holding company for the Westamerica Bank that provides various banking products and services to individual and commercial customers. The company accepts various deposit products, including retail savings and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.